


Haute Couture Love

by SailorHeichou



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Aftercare, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Plug, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Humor, Biting, Boss!Levi, Daddy Kink, Desk Sex, Dirty Talk, Doggy Style, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eren Wears Glasses, Eren Yeager Has Heterochromia Iridum, Eren works at a Fashion Magazine, Eventual Happy Ending, Face-Fucking, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Frottage, Glasses kink, Hand Jobs, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, Insecurity, Jean trying to be a bro, Just kiss already you fools, Levi Has Heterochromia Iridum, Levi being a romantic, Levi is his Boss, Levi is kind of a douche, Levi's got some issues, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Marking, Minor Drug Use, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, Nerdy!Eren, Office Blow Jobs, Office Sex, Overstimulation, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Playboy!Levi, Praise Kink, Rated for Levi's language and other things, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Sex Toys, Sexual Tension, Sleepy Cuddles, Slow Build, Slut Shaming, Smut, Spanking, Titan-Haired Eren Yeager, Vibrators, assistant!Eren, everyone wants a piece of the Jaeger booty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-02-16 20:29:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 163,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2283537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorHeichou/pseuds/SailorHeichou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren Jaeger is sharp, determined and hard working but doesn't consider himself beautiful or good looking in the least. When he lands his dream job, working at Survey Corp Publications as the Executive Assistant to a high-end Fashion magazine's Editor-in-Chief, his life is turned Topsy-Turvy. All he wants to do is work hard to become an Editor, but his boss Levi seems keen on making his life a living hell. </p><p>Levi is a notorious playboy who gets what he wants both in and out of the bedroom. As Editer-in-Chief of New York's best selling high-end Fashion Magazine, Levi is forced to work with an overly determined, hot-headed brat with a rat's nest for hair and the most incredible eyes he's ever seen and it's all because of Erwin Smith.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fashion!

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all are in for a wild ride.   
> The Ereri Fashion AU in which there shall be plenty of fabulous outfits, way too many Lady Gaga song References in every chapter, plenty of Eren being an adorable cutie and too much sassy/asshole Levi.  
> I kind of got inspired to write this because I started re-watching Ugly Betty (and The Devil Wears Prada).  
>  Also, listening to Lady Gaga always puts me in such a fabulous mood.  
> Either way, here's the first chapter~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.”_ — **Bill Cunningham**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, for anyone who's seen episode 1 season 1 of Ugly Betty you'll notice the similarities but I tried to add my own twists here and there so the chapter wasn't mirroring the entire episode. Just certain key parts. 
> 
> Also, Thomas will be making frequent appearances. There's probably going to be a lot of people crushing on Eren, just because I like the idea of Eren thinking he's nothing special or he's 'plain' when in reality he's a babe. He just has self-esteem issues about his appearance ;u; //strokes Eren's hair

"Eren Jaeger?" 

"Yes, That's me!" 

"Oh... um, I think there's been some kind of mistake." 

"Um... A mistake? What do you-"

"All the positions we were hiring for have already been filled. Sorry." 

"Um, sir! Please wait! Let me at least leave my resume with you since I'm already here. I love this company's work, I know most of your magazines inside and out-" 

"Our company is about looks. If you don't have the look to fit the part, then you don't get the job. I'm sorry, goodbye." 

"But, wait! I can type 100 words per minute, I know who the up-and-comer's are on the New York art scene and I have tons of ideas that I think could benefit this publishing company! Please, sir! I really need this jo-" 

"Goodbye, Mr. Jaeger."

\- ◆ -

"I'm home, Dad." I said as I trudged through the front door of our small house.

I threw my messenger bag on the couch as I removed my parka and hung it up behind the door. My dad poked his head out of the kitchen door and smiled at me. 

"Oh, good. You're just in time for Dessert. I'm making your favorite, Brownies." 

I smiled back at him, there was no way I could stay in such a bad mood when my dad smiled at me like that. Plus, Brownies! I sauntered into our small but cozy kitchen, a bit surprised to see my adopted sister Mikasa sitting at the kitchen table, the red scarf I had given her as a Welcome gift her first day with us wrapped around her neck. 

"What are you doing home?" I asked with a smirk as I walked past her and ruffled her short black hair. 

"I got off work early. How did your interview go?" leave it to Mikasa to get straight to the point. 

I walked over to the stove where my dad was cutting the platter of fresh brownies into squares and I snatched one up popping it into my mouth and yelping at the heat that scalded my tongue. My dad only sighed and shook his head at me. 

"I didn't get the job. I didn't even get the chance to be interviewed. The guy was a fucking asshole and said they didn't need people who didn't have 'The Look' working at their company." I paused to licked the brownie off my fingers. "I know I'm no Brat Pitt or Johnny Depp, but damn who knew they were so ass tight about their employees looking good or not." 

My father gave me a soft glare before warning me about my language and I shrugged and gave him a halfhearted apology. I snatched up another brownie before taking a seat with my dad and Mikasa at the kitchen table, my dad to my left and Mikasa across from me. 

"Well, Of course they would expect their employees to look decent. It's not that you yourself aren't good looking, don't be stupid. Do you not own a mirror? It's just the way you present yourself. Your hair is a rat's nest most times if it's not tied back, your clothes are all either torn blue jeans, converse and the same t-shirt but in different colors, and you wear those glasses to hide the fact that you wear contacts."

My mouth hung open as I gaped at my sister, my dad sighed but looked like he agreed with everything she just said. Okay, I know she's right. I'm just too stubborn and hot-headed to admit it. I'm Eren Jaeger for christ sake, Stubborn is my middle name. 

"Well, gee. No need to sugar coat it or anything, why not just pour acid on my wounds while we're at it." I grumbled as I stuffed the rest of my second brownie in my mouth. 

"Well, I'm as clueless as you are, son. A company like Survey Corp Publications should be on their knees begging to hire you. You're sharp, you're always prepared, you're one of the top graduates of your class. Your sister is also right, you are very good looking, you're the spitting image of your mother but you hide yourself away all the time." 

I sunk lower into my seat, pouting. I _really_ didn't want to hear all this, when I already know I hide myself away. Still, I didn't feel like arguing with my family. It would only lead to me getting all riled up and yelling and making a fool out of myself. 

"Eren, just come work with me at the Boutique. My boss will give you a job right away." Mikasa said. 

I only groaned, "Mika, I'm not going to work at your Boss's Boutique. I didn't spend four years in college to work in retail and customer service. Besides, clothes have always been your thing, not mine." 

"Eren, a job is a job." 

"Dad." I pouted looking over at my dad. 

He sighed, "Mikasa, this job is Eren's dream. Let him do what he wants." My dad reached across the table and placed a firm hand on my forearm smiling warmly at me. I smiled back. 

"Fine." she said with a sigh. "But you should probably go change and wash up, Thomas is coming over isn't he?" I slightly brightened up at the mention of my boyfriend coming over for dinner. 

"Yeah, he said he'd be over around six." 

"Go wash up and take off your contacts, Eren. You know how I feel about you hiding your eyes when you're at home. Mikasa and I will start dinner." 

I rolled my eyes playfully but smiled as I stood up from my seat to go get cleaned up for dinner. I stripped off my clothes as soon as I was in the upstairs bathroom, started up the shower and let the water warm before I stepped in. While the water warmed up, I stood in front of the mirror and took my contacts out. They weren't anything fancy, just plain dark green contacts. I rinsed them off before putting them back in their case and then I looked at myself in the mirror. 

I wasn't quite sure how I saw myself to be honest. My dad and Mikasa both said I'm not ugly, but I've always just thought that it was something your family is supposed to tell you. They'd never actually tell you you're ugly to your face if you asked. Maybe I'm just plain, normal even. Well, that's not true. There is one thing totally not the least bit normal about me, and that thing is my eyes. I stared at my right eye in particular, it was a honey gold color while my left eye was a strange mix of green and blue. 

Whether I was ugly or not, one thing I did love about myself were my eyes. I had both of my parent's eye colors. One gold, like my mother's and one Teal like my father's. My mother loved my eyes, and when she died when I was 9, I made a promise with myself to never let anyone else see them. My dad was kind of upset when I asked him for contacts, but he didn't say no. I felt bad, but sometimes (like right now) he'll ask me to take them off so he can see my eyes and I'll always do it. I love my dad, just as much as I loved my mom. 

I did a quick once over in the mirror before jumping in the shower. I guess I'm not really bad looking. I'm kind of tall, lanky I guess. Golden tan skin like my mothers, long chocolate brown hair like my fathers. Wide shoulders, slender waist. I never thought I was unhealthily skinny but I definitely don't consider myself ripped, maybe just toned. I guess all those years playing Soccer and joining the Swim team in High School was worth it. I've never been able to just sit still so I worked off the extra energy with sports. 

Sighing, I finally decided to stop criticizing myself and jumped into the shower. I think I spent more time looking at myself in the mirror than I did actually cleaning myself in the shower because I was done in a matter of minutes. I sauntered out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel and carried my dirty clothes to my room in the basement where I dumped them into a hamper. I didn't actually pick to have my room in the basement, but since our house only had two bedrooms and Mikasa and I were too old to share one anymore, I opted to take the basement. It wasn't too bad, I made it as homey as I could and even had some old Christmas lights hung up around the walls to give me a bit more light in the late evenings. 

I threw on a fresh set of clothes, a sweater that fit me a bit too big and my usual blue jeans, (at least these weren't torn, take that Mikasa.) then I just killed some time scrolling through some random apps on my phone as I dried my hair. I should probably get a haircut soon, but I kind of liked having my hair long and being able to tie it back into a pony tail. 

About an hour later, I heard Mikasa calling for me from upstairs. Thomas was here. I quickly tried to fix up my appearance a little and tame my wild mess of hair, even though I knew there was little to be done with it by now. After making sure that I looked at least somewhat decent, I raced up the stairs and almost tripped over the last two before I made it into the kitchen. 

Thomas was standing in the living room with my dad and they were talking. He looked... nervous? Well, Thomas always looked kind of nervous I guess. I sauntered up toward the two of them and my dad smiled at me. 

"I'll leave you two alone. Mikasa and I will be in the kitchen." 

My dad shook Thomas's hand once more and then it was finally just the two of us. I smiled at him as my hands fidgeted in my pockets. Why was I feeling nervous for all of a sudden? I've been going out with Thomas since before Graduation, it's not like this is the first time we've been alone together. Ugh, I felt like a middle school kid left alone with their crush. 

"Um, Eren. Can we... talk? Outside?" he asked with a little shrug of his shoulders. His honey brown eyes shifted around the room nervously but he didn't make eye contact with me. 

That's when I remembered, shit, I forgot to put in my contacts before Thomas got here. I mean, it's not like Thomas has never seen me without them, I'd shown him my real eyes a couple of times but he always seemed distracted by them whenever I did so I made sure to always have my contacts on. Well, it was too late for me to go and pop them in now. 

"Uh, sure." I said awkwardly, leading him toward our front door and out onto the porch. 

I leaned up against one of the supports of the small porch roof above us and Thomas stood stiffly next to the other one, his eyes were still glued to the ground.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked after the silence became too much for me. 

"Eren..." he started and then trailed off. "I think we should see other people." 

"...Why?" 

"Eren, I... I just think it would be good for the both of us. You're going to be starting a new job and you'll be too busy for me anyway so..." Thomas trailed off again, his eyes focused on anywhere other than me.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "What's this really about, Thomas?" I could hear the venom in my voice. Shit, I needed to calm down.

Thomas hesitated, "I'm in love with someone else!"

I stood there, staring wide eyed at my boyfriend of the last two years as he had the nerve to tell me that he wanted us to see other people because he was in love with someone else. 

"But... with who? How?" I asked, hearing my voice harden as I felt tears prickle the corners of my eyes. Fuck, I could feel my anger boiling up already. 

"It doesn't matter, Eren. I'm sorry, it just happened." 

"No, Thomas. Something like that doesn't just fucking _happen_. If you wanted to break up, you could have just said let's break up instead of making some bullshit excuse." I said with a scoff. 

I was glaring down at the cement underneath my bare feet. What the fuck was happening today? Was it national 'Shit on Eren Jaeger's day' today? Because with all the shit I've been through in the last 12 hours alone, it sure as hell feels like it. 

"I'm sorry, Eren." 

Thomas finally moved from where he was standing, he took a couple steps closer to me until he was brushing up against my shoulders and he hesitantly leaned forward to kiss me on the cheek. I leaned away from him just as I felt his lips brush against my cheek and I pushed him away with a hand. Fuck this. Now he wanted to kiss me after he just told me he was in love with someone else. This wasn't some cheesy teenage romance movie. 

"Save your apologies for someone who gives a shit, Thomas." I spat.

I sidestepped him as I reached for the front door to my house letting myself in and slamming the door behind me leaving Thomas standing alone at the front steps. Mikasa, being the overprotective sister that she was, came walking out from the kitchen with a worried look on her face as I brushed passed her to get to my room downstairs. 

"Eren, what happened?" she asked grabbing my arm to stop me. 

"Thomas broke up with me." was all I said as I yanked myself away from her arm and stomped down the stairs to the basement. 

I turned on the small tv I had before I threw myself down face first on my bed. I was honestly more pissed than anything else, you would think after two years with Thomas I would feel a little more sad but anger was the only thing I could feel at the moment. It didn't stop me from crying though. The only comforting thing was, I knew I was crying tears of frustration not sadness over Thomas. Whatever. Just another day in the life of Eren fucking Jaeger.

\- ◆ -

> "It was the top story trending for the Fashion World today, when Survey Corp Publications Owner Erwin Smith chose Levi Ackerman as new Editor in Chief of world famous Fashion Bible Recon Magazine. Can the notorious playboy and Heart breaker translate his talents at bedding men and women to dressing them?"

"How do you like the new office, Levi?"

I startled from my spot behind my desk at the sound of Erwin fucking Smith's voice as he entered my office. Fuck, what great timing. I tried to school my expression into it's usual impassiveness but I could tell that my boss probably wasn't buying it. 

"Fucking hell, Erwin. Knock before you come in, you scared the shit out of me." 

Erwin lifted one of his big ass eyebrows at my shaky response, shit, that probably didn't help me convince him any. I quickly cleared my throat and tried to sit a little straighter in my seat to scowl at him. Erwin took a quick glance around my office, looking at any and every little thing as he went along. His eyes lingered on a center piece of fake flowers and I followed his gaze, oh fuck, there was a pair of lacy panties flung over the vase. 

Erwin made a move picking up with panties and holding them up with his fingertips. Calculating blue eyes turned and caught my slightly surprised eyes as I sucked my teeth and glared back at him. 

"Interesting choice of decoration, Levi." his voice as even and calm as ever but I could see the pointed look in his eyes. Shit. 

"Tch. Get up." I growled out quietly. 

Erwin's eyes looked down at the brunet man who crawled out from under my desk, a pen in his hand as he stumbled to his feet, his lips swollen as he licked them and awkwardly smiled at Erwin. A blush evident on his cheeks from being caught sucking me off underneath the desk. I cleared my throat, 

"This is my new Assistant, Alex." I purred with a little curl of my lips as I eyed the hot brunet standing next to me. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt your 'dictation', but this is not the way you're supposed to be running this Magazine. I chose you because you were the best candidate." Erwin walked toward my assistant Alex who looked a bit terrified as he was approached. Erwin stuffed the lace panties into my assistant's pocket and gave him that sickeningly sweet business smile of his. 

"You're fired. Now, please excuse us." 

Alex's mouth hung open a bit in disbelief as he looked to me for help. I simply shrugged and curled my fingers to pick out any dirt that might be underneath them. Like I cared if Erwin fired my hot new assistant. I could always find another one, a much hotter assistant if I wanted. The brunet huffed and scowled at me as he brushed past Erwin and stomped out of my office. I could hear him grunting with frustration all the way down the empty hallways of the office. Erwin turned back to me frowning, 

"This is getting out of hand, Levi. It's bad enough you have a reputation as a Man whore, but now you're even mixing Play with work. I didn't hand pick you as the new Editor-in-Chief of Recon Magazine so you could abuse your position like this. I chose you because you're the best one suited for this job." 

I rolled my eyes and glared up at Erwin, he may have been my boss but this was after hours, I didn't have to pretend around him. 

"Look, Eyebrows. People can think whatever the hell they like about me, I don't really give a shit. But when push comes to shove, you know I always pull through for you and this time will be no different. I know the way this company works like the back of my hand, there is no one better suited for this position than me. So I like to have sex, big deal. Can you blame me for wanting to bed that guy?" 

Erwin stared at me for a long time before he eventually just started for my office door. Well thank fuck, at least he wasn't going to drag this out any longer than it needed to be. It wasn't a big fucking deal. I would do my job flawlessly no matter what. Just as Erwin reached the door, he stopped and smiled at me politely. 

"I trust you, Levi. But just for insurance, I'll be personally picking your new Assistant myself. You'll meet them tomorrow morning. Goodnight." 

And just like that I was left alone in my office. I couldn't help but feel like nothing good could come out of the way Erwin smiled at me like that before he left. I had a very, very shitty feeling about this.

\- ◆ -

I sat in the Kitchen with Mikasa that night, stuffing our faces with the leftover Brownies after dinner. I knew she was trying to be thoughtful and not bring up Thomas or the fact that I didn't get my dream job, but I could see she was just itching to tell me something about it behind those dark, black eyes of hers.

"Are you feeling any better, Eren?" she asked softly. 

"I'm fine. I'm always fine." I said with a little smile to reassure her. 

She smiled back from behind the red material of her scarf but our little moment was cut off when the phone in the kitchen started ringing. I stuffed my face with another brownie, not caring about getting fat, or choking or anything as she stood up from her seat to answer the phone. I got lost in my thoughts as the sound of Mikasa's voice talking on the phone in the background faded out. 

To be honest, I think I was more upset about not getting my dream job than I was about breaking up with Thomas. I mean, Thomas was a nice guy and all, the sex wasn't anything to write home about but at least he wasn't abusive or an asshole. Except for today, today he was a grade A fucking asshole. Who the fuck tells their boyfriend that they want to see other people and then tells them they're in love with someone else? Ugh. I was cut off from my thoughts when Mikasa softly called my name, the phone pressed up against her shoulder. 

"Eren, it's someone named Erwin Smith from Survey Corp Publications? They want to talk to you." 

I practically spit the brownie that was in my mouth out all over the table as I swallowed it thickly and scrambled to my feet to take the phone from her. Erwin fucking Smith was calling me, you do not keep a man like Erwin waiting. 

"Hello Sir! Yes, this is Eren Jaeger! Yes?...Are you serious? No, I mean, yes, I mean Of course I can start tomorrow! What time should I be there? Okay. I'll be there first thing in the morning, thank you so much, Sir! I really appreciate this!" I practically slammed the phone back onto the receiver and I turned to look back at Mikasa with the widest grin on my face. 

"Well, what did they say? I went and got Dad." she said just as my Dad came into the kitchen. A worried look on his unshaven face. 

"I got a job at Recon Magazine! Executive Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief! Can you believe it!?" I was practically grabbing my dad by the shoulders and twirling him around the room as I laughed. 

This was the best thing to ever happen to me, I was happier than I'd ever been in my life. Forget about Thomas or the fact that he dumped me! Forget about anything bad that happened to me today! I'm getting a chance to work my dream job, and there was nothing that was going to bring me down! 

"That's amazing, son! I'm happy for you!" My dad brought me into a tight hug and I hugged him back just as tightly. He motioned for Mikasa to do the same and she did shyly. 

Once our little group hug was over, I looked between the both of them and sighed happily. 

"Do you realize what this means? If I do well at Recon Magazine, I can become an Editor in no time and then I could even work under any other established publishing company in the country!" 

"But Eren, Recon Magazine is a high end Fashion Magazine, isn't it? They turned you down originally for a different position because you didn't look the part. I'm not saying you should change your look, but at least _try_ to wear something sensible tomorrow. Don't you have at least a couple of plain white button up shirts or something?" Mikasa added. 

I quickly came down from my momentary high and thought seriously on that for a second. Shit, she was right. I kind of did need to at least try to dress a little better now that I had this job. I wasn't going to try and fool myself, I didn't have much of a fashion sense which is why I wasn't originally shooting for Recon Magazine. Just a regular t-shirt and jeans would be good enough for me but if I was going to be working for a high-end Fashion Magazine like Recon Magazine, then I would need to step up my game a little. 

"I do, actually." I drawled look over at Mikasa with a little grin. 

"Oh boy, I have a bad feeling about this. Come on, we're going to go look through your closet to find you a suitable outfit for your first day tomorrow. You need to make a good first impression." 

Mikasa grabbed me by the wrists and dragged me downstairs to the basement, my dad was smiling as he followed closely behind us. Mikasa was probably right though, I probably would need some help if I was going to make a good first impression tomorrow. As Mikasa dug around my closet for some decent clothes, I got lost in my thoughts. 

What would my boss be like? Is he someone famous, I wonder? I knew who the last Editor-in-Chief of Recon was, an older gentleman by the name of Dot Pixis. Everyone always had nothing but good things to say about him, and his fine leadership skills. I hoped my new boss was someone like that. I didn't know anything about the new Editor-in-Chief of Recon, only that they just recently started. I pushed those thoughts aside, they were getting me too excited and at this point I would never get to sleep early. 

Either way, I was finally going to start my dream job tomorrow. Look out, Recon Magazine. Eren Jaeger is coming!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi is going to be such a little shit in the beginning. I'm not even sorry. This is another slow build, but I hope I can at least make this a little more fun and humorous. 
> 
> The first couple of chapters will be switching POV's between Eren and Levi but once I get introductions out of the way, then chapters will turn strictly single POV of either Eren or Levi depending on the chapter.


	2. Fame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _"Attitude is everything."_ — **Diane von Furstenberg**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically, Levi is a giant asshole. I kind of got inspired by Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada for this chapter because I just imagine Levi being this fashionably fierce bitch who gives no fucks.
> 
> Hence the song I used as Levi's entrance music 8D I suggest clicking the link when you see the **(X)** symbol pop up!

I stood outside the massive glass doors of Survey Corp Publishing Company. I could feel my heart racing a mile a minute and my palms wouldn't stop sweating. Shit, why am I so nervous? I should be excited, bouncing up and down and smiling like an idiot but instead I can't help but feel my stomach tied up in knots. I just hoped I could shake this off before I met my boss. 

Mikasa had helped me pick out a decent outfit for my first day of work last night. It wasn't anything special or fancy, just a plain white button up shirt that Mikasa had ironed for me this morning and pair of dark wash jeans. Granted, they were very _tight_ jeans, but nobody needed to know that these were actually Mikasa's jeans. Nope. No one. I took a deep breath, adjusted my pony tail (I didn't bother trying to tame my hair this morning, it's pretty much a lost cause.) and stepped forward pulling the glass door open. 

I started my way in confidently, finally feeling a bit of my nerves slip away into nerves of excitement as the rush of the building started to hit me. I didn't realize just how busy Survey Corp Publishing actually was until now. There were literally herds of people just zipping by everywhere. I tried to stay out of their ways by sidestepping and swerving as people ran by with clothing racks and files of papers, others with breakfast bagels or coffees in hand. Three minutes in the building and my morning was already taking a turn for the worst. 

The only thing I saw was a head of blond hair before I felt the burning sting of hot coffee spilled all over my shirt, scalding my arm. I tried to hold in my yelp of pain, biting my lower lip but I think I probably let out some whimpers of pain if the stares I was getting weren't strange enough. 

" _Son of a-fuck!_ " I hissed as I cradled my burned arm close to my chest as if that would stop the pain. 

"Oh my god! I-I'm so sorry!" my eyes searched for the source of the voice and saw that familiar head of blond hair, but I was startled by the large blue eyes that were shoved in my line of view. "I didn't see you there and oh gosh, look at you I got coffee all over you!" 

I blinked a few times at this... guy? Yeah, guy. How had he not seen me standing right here? I'm not exactly hard to miss. Still, I decided I wasn't going to lose my cool and make a scene right here in the middle of the Main Lobby and plus, the guy sounded generally sorry. He almost looked ready to cry, even. 

"Talk about a wake up call." I said forcing out a shaky laugh as I grimaced at the feeling of hot coffee going cold on my shirt. The fabric was starting to stick to my skin uncomfortably as the sugar and creamer from the coffee cooled and hardened. Ugh. 

"Oh god, Oh gosh. Come with me, I'll get you a new shirt to put on while I send yours down to get cleaned." and suddenly the blond was tugging me off somewhere I didn't bother paying attention to. 

Talk about my first morning working at Survey Corp Publishing. Not even five minutes and I've already had hot coffee spilled on me nearly giving me third degree burns. Okay, the burning wasn't that bad but I knew my skin would probably be a little rosy from the heat. I stumbled after the blond guy who I noticed was a few inches shorter than I was, his hair was cropped into a sort of bob like style ending just above his shoulders. It kind of reminded me of a bowl cut, only not as bad. 

"Here, this is the Closet. It's where we keep all the Model's clothes for when they have photo shoots." blondie said as he shoved me into a large, well lit room with racks upon racks of various clothing and shoes. "Do you work here? Because I'm pretty sure I've never seen you around before and I know almost everyone who works in this building." 

Blondie shut the door behind us and I started peeling off the gross coffee covered button up with disgust written all over my face as I observed the sticky liquid that had seeped through the fabric of my shirt and onto my skin. Shit, now I smelled like coffee and I would probably smell it on me all day until I showered. 

"Actually, this is my first day working here." I said as I handed the soiled shirt to the blond guy. 

"Oh! Well, that explains why I've never seen your face before. What position are you filling? Maybe we're in the same department. My name is Armin by the way, Armin Arlert." Armin smiled widely at me as he folded my soiled shirt up into his hands. 

"Uh, I'm Eren Jaeger the new Executive Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief of Recon Magazine." I said hesitantly. Armin had walked off somewhere and come back with a few wet paper towels. Thank god, because I did not want to walk around with sticky skin all day. Just the thought grossed me out and gave me shivers. 

"Oh..." he said sounding much less enthusiastic now. My eyes flicked up to gauge his expression. "So, you're Levi's new Assistant." it wasn't phrased as a question at all but I still felt like it was one. 

"Levi? Is that the name of the Editor-in-Chief?" I asked curiously as Armin turned his back to me to look for a shirt I could wear.

His smile was much more shy and hesitant now, his big blue eyes avoiding mine as he shuffled around the room to a rack on the far side of the wall with clothes of all colors and shades. 

"Yes, Levi Ackerman. He just took the position of Editer-in-Chief about a week ago, before that he was the Creative Director. Even before he was Editor-in-Chief, he ran Recon behind the scenes. Now, he's the face of the entire magazine. He's... very interesting." Armin said with a nervous little chuckle. "It's a good thing we ran into each other then. Levi would have murdered you if he saw you wearing this shirt." 

I swallowed thickly, "My boss sounds like Satan." 

Armin's big blue eyes widened a bit but then he doubled over with laughter, his long blond hair falling into his face cutely. I chuckled along with Armin, I decided I liked him. He seemed like a cool guy and shit, he was helping me out here apparently. I would have walked into that office this morning and made a bad impression with my boss on the first day, all because of the shirt I decided to wear today. This was going to be a lot harder than I thought. 

"Levi can be very intimidating but he's a damn good Editor-in-Chief. Erwin hand picked Levi himself for the position, and Erwin never wastes time on people who won't benefit him in some way." Armin turned around after I was done wiping the sticky coffee from my arm and chest and he blinked a bit, his eyes lingering on my skin making me feel just a little bit self-conscious. He then smiled and handed me a grey button up and I quickly took it from him slipping it on as fast as I could. 

"So what department are you in?" I asked while buttoning the shirt. If there was one thing I hated, it was awkward silences. 

Armin perked up at my question, "Oh, I'm Erwin Smith's Assistant. I work on the top floor with him but you'll occasionally see me running around all over the building getting him files and papers he needs to sign or checking up on the other Department heads, organizing meetings, getting signatures from the other Editors of the other Magazines in the company. Stuff like that." 

I finished buttoning the [shirt](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=135027967) and turned to face Armin fully now feeling much more comfortable now that I had a shirt on my back. I was impressed, actually. I didn't expect him to work for such an important person like Erwin Smith, the owner of the whole damn publishing company. 

"Wow, I'm kind of jealous." I said with a laugh. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Armin was blushing. "So, do you have any other pointers for me before I go off to my doom?" I asked with a sheepish grin, brushing some of my bangs out of my face. 

Armin hummed, tapping his finger against his chin as he thought. He circled me for a while, the sound of his nice dress shoes clicking against the shiny tile. I took a moment to appreciate Armin's well put together attire as well. He was wearing a light blue button up with French cuffs, a dark blue tie in Paisley print and crisp, grey slacks paired with tan lace up oxfords. I had to hand it to the guy, he knew what he was doing when it came to dressing smart. 

"Well, I don't really think I have to tell you that you should be good to go as long as you work hard and do everything Levi asks of you. He's tough, but from what I've gathered from Erwin he's respectful to those who respect him." Armin stopped right in front of me now, smiling apologetically. "As for you appearance, I think we managed to save you for today. There's no specific dress code here, Business Casual is pretty much the norm around here. If we had anymore time, I could help you fix your hair a bit better but I actually think the messy look helps complete the outfit." Armin pulled the hair tie from my hair letting messy brown locks fall haphazardly. 

"Do you really need these?" Armin asked curiously as he reached for my glasses. 

Okay, I might have panicked a bit when I thought Armin was about to reach for my glasses and take them off. I'll admit it. I panicked. I stiffened when I saw his hand drawing closer and my hand shot for his wrist to stop him. Armin looked a bit surprised for a second but then his surprise was replaced with curiosity, his deep blue eyes lighting up. 

"Sorry, but I really do need these." I mumbled shyly, feeling my face heating up. I released my grip on his wrist and uttered an apology but Armin only smiled brightly, thank goodness. It didn't look like I offended him in any way. 

So I lied about the glasses, I didn't actually need them to see. My vision was perfect, my glasses were also real but the lenses weren't prescribed. They were just basic reading glasses but I chose to wear them because of my little eye problem. Even if I was wearing colored contacts to hide my Heterochromia, I still felt self-conscious and uncomfortable without them. 

"Alright, then I guess that's all. You better get up there soon, Levi hates tardiness." Armin started walking out of the room with my soiled shirt in his arms. "I'll have this cleaned and then return it later. Nice meeting you, Eren." he said with a cheerful smile and then he was gone. 

I glanced down at my wrist watch to check the time, shit, Armin was right. I was supposed to be there at exactly 9am and it was 15 minutes till. I hauled ass out of the closet room and somehow managed to find my way back to the main lobby. I got into the Elevators selecting the 26th floor and stood waiting anxiously before I reached my floor. Why the fuck did it have to be all the way on the 26th floor? And why the fuck did everyone need to select every other floor stopping the elevator every two fucking seconds to get off and on. Okay, I needed to calm down. I was just paranoid about being late. I kept glancing at my watch the rest of the elevator ride up.

\- ♦ - 

"Okay, Jaeger. This is your desk, as you can see, it's directly in front of Levi's office. You'll be able to see straight into his office if he needs you for anything, your phone also has an intercom so he'll be able to call you directly through there from the phone in his office. You handle all the calls that come in, every time that phone rings, you answer it. No matter what, _always_ answer the phone. If you're not going to be at your desk for whatever reason, then you come and ask me at the receptionist desk to cover your phones until you come back. Levi hates it when phone calls aren't answered. Also, keep your desk clean and organized. Levi hates clutter."

I followed after Jean, the receptionist, as he instructed me on what I needed to do in order to keep Levi happy. It was a lot to take in such a short amount of time. Levi's office needs to be dusted and cleaned at least once everyday to ensure no dust collects, I needed to make sure the janitors polished the floors correctly and that they cleaned the windows properly, basically make sure the entire floor is spotless. I was starting to think my boss had an obsession with cleanliness. 

Jean leaned against my desk, a bored expression on his stupid horse face. The thing is, I probably would have at least _tried_ to get along with Jean if he hadn't acted like such a jerk off when I first stepped off the elevator. Literally, the first words out of his stupid big mouth were 'Who let the shaggy dog in?' and I swear to god, if this weren't my first day working I would have punched him out. I could already tell Jean and I weren't going to be getting along very well. 

"You know, Jaeger. I'd watch my back if I were you. There are literally hundreds of people who would kill to be working this job just to get a piece of Levi. Me being one of them of course. I've been working at this company for two years and not once have I ever been promoted to be an assistant for anyone, yet you come along like a walking disaster with that hair and those hideous glasses and suddenly you're executive assistant to the new Editor-in-Chief." Jean scoffed picking at his nails. 

I rolled my eyes so hard, it practically hurt my eyeballs. Jean was definitely going to give me a hard time, Mikasa had told me this wouldn't be an easy job, working for a high-end Fashion magazine like Recon. While Recon wasn't exactly my first choice, I would take it over nothing at all. If I did good here, put in at least a year of good work I could probably switch to any other magazine I wanted. I would just have to get through one whole year here at Recon. 

"Look alive, Jaeger. The King of Mean has entered the building." Jean snickered before he hopped off my desk and sprinted for the front receptionist's desk. 

Shit, shit, shit. This was finally happening, I was going to meet my boss. Fuck, I was so nervous. I just hoped I wouldn't make a fool out of myself. Alright, I just needed to calm down. I could do this. I could totally do this. I am a smart, educated, capable person who can do anything once I put my mind to it! Okay! I stood up from my desk and straightened my posture as best as I could. I took a shaky breath in and exhaled heavily, trying to calm my beating heart. 

Everyone in the office was scrambling to get to their stations, I was slightly surprised at how flustered the whole office seemed to be when word got in that Levi was here. I could hear the sound of shoes clacking against the shiny white floors, actually I think this floor was even shinier than the Main Lobby floor I could practically see my fucking reflection every time I looked down. I was snapped back into reality when I heard Jean's annoying voice babbling on and on about something and then, my heart nearly stopped. 

[(X)](http://youtu.be/zM4BkVUehak?t=42s) The man that rounded the corner was absolutely stunning. From his sleek, neatly parted and combed onyx hair styled with an undercut, to his pale, marble like skin. Prominent cheekbones, the slender nose, thin lips with a slightly fuller lower lip and the strong, chiseled jawline. His [outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=135028009) was also flawless, fitting him perfect in all the right places. Everything about this man screamed power, but most of all presence. So this was the person I would be working for, Recon Magazine's Editor-in-Chief. He certainly confirmed the intimation thing that Armin had mentioned earlier.

I stiffened up slightly as he approached and only when he was just a few feet away from me did I notice... holy shit, this guy is fucking _short_! Okay, Okay I needed to think about something else because I know how my mouth has no filter and usually only says whatever comes to my brain at the moment. I did _not_ need to fuck up my first day on the job because my stupid brain couldn't stop thinking about how short this guy is. Is it just me or has he stopped walking? Holy shit is he looking at me right now? I can't tell because he's wearing sunglasses and- FUCK! He's coming right for me now. 

"Who the fuck is that?" the short, handsome man asked out loud. Fuck. I took a deep breath to answer,

" _That_ unfortunately, is your new assistant. Eren Jaeger." fucking Jean opened his big horse mouth before I could. 

Levi reached a pale hand up and slid the sunglasses down the narrow bridge of his nose and I was surprised to be met with a pair of striking silver and blue. This man, he had the same eyes as me. Both eyes were a stunning color, the left being a sharp silver that seemed to be cutting through you like a knife while the right was a muted blue but not any less stunning. The slight dark rings under his eyes would normally make anyone else look awful tired, but on him it looked kind of... sexy. I must have been staring because next thing I know, Jean is nudging me in the side hard. 

"You've got to be fucking kidding me..." I heard Levi grumble, if he meant for it not to be heard by me than he did a pretty shit job at it. "You, come with me." he pointed a slender, pale finger at me and then turned to walk away briskly. It took me a few seconds to register what had just happened and then I was scrambling after him. Shit, I haven't even said a single word to this guy and I already pissed him off. Jean was running after us, more so after Levi. 

"Uh, Levi where are you going?" He asked, slightly out of breath. 

"To see Erwin. Who else?" Levi was already stepping into an open elevator, I followed after him quietly.

"B-But, Levi! You know you have to set up an appointment with Armin first before you-" 

"Like I give a shit. I'll see Erwin whenever the fuck I want, I don't need a fucking appointment." 

"But, Levi!" 

And with that the elevator doors closed and I was left alone in a cage with this raging short person. Great. I fidgeted quietly in a corner of the elevator, trying to put as much space between Levi and I as possible. Levi was in his own corner, tapping his foot impatiently with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. I did my best not to stare at him, glancing at him only a few times before I stopped myself from pissing him off any further. Just what the hell had I done to piss him off so bad? I was so fired. 

The elevator dinged as we reached the 30th floor and the doors opened immediately. We were greeted by Armin's cheerful face as he sat behind a large glass desk, he had on a white headset and was currently typing away furiously at his keyboard while talking to whoever it was he was on a call with. I was slightly surprised to see just how professional he looked while at work. Even with his unprofessional haircut. He stopped typing and talking when he glanced up and saw Levi and I heading straight toward him, well sort of straight toward him. More like toward the big glass double doors straight behind him where I could clearly see Erwin Smith sitting at his desk. 

"Oh, Good Morning, Levi. I'm sorry but Erwin isn't seeing anyone right n-" 

"Shut it, Coconut. I don't give a fuck if he's in a business meeting with fucking Jesus Christ himself, I need to talk to that asshole." Levi walked right past Armin's desk and I reluctantly followed after him giving a pleading look to Armin. 

'What happened?' Armin mouthed to me while raising his hands in the air in a questioning manner and I only shrugged and shook my head honestly not having a clue as to what the fuck was going on right now. Levi entered the office first and I was slowly trailing behind him until he reached out for the sleeve of my shirt and yanked me in after him. I looked up and saw Mr.Smith's pale blue eyes trained on Levi and I and I gulped loudly. Holy fucking shit, it's Erwin Smith. 

"What the fuck is _this_ supposed to be, Erwin?" Levi spat venomously. I could practically see the way he was seething with rage. For what, I have no fucking clue. 

"I believe _he's_ your new assistant. The one I personally hired to work for you. Hello Eren." He greeted with a polite smile and I smiled back awkwardly. 

"Hello, Sir." I mumbled back, not sure if I was allowed to answer or not because holy shit the tension in the air could be cut with a freakin' knife. 

"Cut the formalities, Erwin. Are you trying to fuck with me? Is this your idea of a joke?" Levi hissed, gesturing toward me. 

Okay, now I was starting to feel a little offended. Was it really that surprising that I got hired as his fucking assistant or was I missing something here? I stood there thoroughly confused as Levi ranted at Erwin while the other man just sat behind his desk, back straight and eyes trained on Levi as he spoke. 

"Eren, would you please give us a minute? Armin can help you get your I.D typed up and printed." Erwin said with another one of those polite smiles. 

I nodded my head and turned too leave all too quickly. I was so happy to be out of that fucking room, the tense atmosphere was just getting to me and the other thing I hated more than awkward silences was awkward situations in general. I practically power walked over to Armin's desk and let out a breath of air I hadn't realized I'd been holding in all this time. Armin look up at me from his chair, big blue eyes full of concern. 

"Eren, is everything alright? I could practically hear Levi yelling and that's sound proof glass." Armin said with a sheepish smile. 

I took a moment to compose myself before answering him. 

"I don't know, Armin. I mean I haven't even said a single word to the guy. He walked in, we stared at each other for a little while and then he was dragging me off to come see Mr. Smith. I don't understand what I did to upset him so badly! Was it because I stared? I don't even-" Armin cut my rambling off when he placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. He was smiling but it was sad and his eyes were apologetic and sparkling. 

"Eren... I probably shouldn't be telling you this but..." Armin's blue eyes shifted around before he pulled me a little closer toward him and he leaned toward me. "The reason Erwin hired you to be Levi's new assistant was because he wanted someone who wouldn't tempt Levi to sleep with them. He wanted someone who would keep Levi in check and make sure he actually did his work as Editor-in-Chief and not fool around behind closed doors. I'm sorry, I should have told you something as soon as I knew who you were." 

Armin leaned back in his seat, a deep frown on his face as he looked down ashamed of himself. I kind of just stood and stared at him for awhile trying to process this new information. 'Someone who wouldn't temp Levi to sleep with them'? What the fuck did that even mean? I didn't have much time to think on it when Levi came stomping out a minute later, a scowl on his face. 

"Erwin wants to talk to you, Brat." he said through clenched teeth. 

I swallowed, then nodded and started back for Erwin's office. Before I even reached the door, Levi stopped me by gripping my wrist firmly and tugging me back. I stared down into those beautiful mismatched eyes of his and almost shuddered at the feel of his hot breath so close to my lips. 

"Don't get too comfortable here, Jaeger." he hissed quietly before letting me go. 

I frowned, the fuck was that supposed to mean. Ugh, why did everyone have to be so fucking weird? I'm just trying to work! I ignored my beating heart and opened the thick glass doors to Erwin's office, the man now leaning casually against the front of his desk with ankles crossed and one hand in his slack pockets. 

"Eren, please have a seat." he said politely. 

I nodded and quickly took a seat in one of the comfortable leather chairs he had in his office. I hadn't really had much time to appreciate the interior but it looks like I wouldn't really get the chance to when Erwin cleared his throat softly and started talking again, 

"Eren, do you know why I hired you to be Levi's assistant?" he asked, one of his massive eyebrows raised slightly. 

"Um, I think I kind of have an idea... sir." I added. 

"Well, whatever you think the reason is, you might be right but would you mind if you heard what I had to say?" 

I shook my head. 

"Good. Eren, I saw you in the main lobby of the building yesterday when you were turned away for an interview. I didn't intend to listen in on what was going on, I was simply on my way to a meeting but you caught my interest so I asked HR for your resume. I have to say, Mr. Jaeger I was quite impressed by it. You come highly recommended and yet you were turned away for such a petty little reason such as looks." Erwin paused, pale blue eyes scrutinizing me from head to toe in a way I couldn't quite decipher. 

"What I'm getting at is, if I didn't already have such a capable assistant like Armin I would have hired you to be my assistant. You're resume just impressed me that much and so did your skills, but you see I figured I would put you with Levi instead. As hard as it is to believe, that man is incapable of caring for himself when it comes to business and personal matters. I'd very much like it if you could just give this a chance, despite Levi's awful manners. I'm asking you to please take care of him, Eren." There was that terribly polite smile of his again and I couldn't help but feel a little shy about how handsome Erwin Smith was up close. Hell, he's handsome from far away as well. The guy is a greek adonis and my gay little heart wouldn't have lasted working for him. 

I sighed, "Pardon me if I'm speaking out of turn, Mr.Smith-" 

"Just Erwin when we're alone." he interjected with another smile. 

I smiled nervously, "Erwin. It's not that I don't want to work this job, I'm more than happy to be working for your company. I've admired this publishing company's work since I was in High School and I've wanted nothing than to work here as a writer or even an editor. But to be completely honest, Sir-Erwin." I corrected. "Levi doesn't exactly seem like he... likes me very much. I literally haven't said one single word to him since I first met him twenty minutes ago." I stared at my hands in my lap ducking my head down a bit. 

I felt a large, warm hand on my shoulder and my head whipped up to see Erwin Smith standing right next to me smiling down at me warmly with a twinkle in those pale blue eyes that made my heart flutter just a little bit. God, why did he have to look like a pin-up version of Captain fucking America? 

"Eren, that's exactly why I think you're perfect for this position. Levi has high standards, ridiculously high standards actually. That's exactly why a high-end fashion magazine like Recon needs him to run it, because he's a perfectionist and expects nothing less than perfection, even from his workers in every sense. You're definitely not up to Levi's standards, Eren. In fact, you're beyond his standards, which is what I like about you. You're smart, you're quick and most of all I've seen just how determined you are about working here at this company. Levi would never hire someone with as much capability as you, but I think that's exactly the type of person he needs by his side. So, will you promise me to give this a shot? If you decide in the end that this job is not for you, then you can rightfully quit but let me just say that it would be a damn shame if you did." 

Damn, Erwin Smith was one smooth operator. Just a minute ago I was being told that I was basically only hired because I was 'plain' looking and wouldn't be tempting to my boss but now Erwin had me rethinking this entire situation. I knew he was only telling me all of this because he wanted me to at least _try_ to work here before I just up and left without even getting through with the first day, but damn he was persuasive as fuck. He actually had me feeling like I had a chance at working this job. So with much uncertainty, 

"Yes, Sir. I understand. I'll do my best to win Levi over with my hard work and determination, I promise. I'll be the best damn assistant he's ever had." I said standing up from my seat. 

Erwin took a step closer to me and I felt my heart lurch in my chest by his sudden close proximity. I could smell the cologne he was wearing, musky and strong but not grossly overwhelming. Damn he smelled nice, and nothing was more attractive than a handsome man in a suit who also smells nice. Fuck, I need to stop. He held out one of his large hands for me to shake as he stared down at me with those warm blue eyes of his sparkling in the sunlight that poured in from his large office window. I took his hand and shook it firmly and he gripped mine back as well. 

"Glad to hear it, Eren. Welcome to Survey Corp Publications. I _hope_ to see you again soon." the deep baritone of his voice made me want to shiver. I suddenly remembered why I liked men, it was like I was realizing I was gay for the first time all over again. Men like Erwin Smith made it a good day to be gay. I would ride him in a heart beat. 

Erwin showed me out of his office where Levi was waiting, leaning against Armin's desk like he owned the place and Armin sitting kind of shrunken at the other end of his desk diligently working on some paper work. Levi's striking eyes caught mine as Erwin and I both exited the glass doors of his office. I firmly looked away from Levi and started for the elevators. 

"Well, if that will be all then you'll have to excuse me." I heard Erwin say from behind me as I started for the elevators. 

I glanced at Armin on my way and he gave me a small smile and a wave and I couldn't help but give him a little smile back. The guy was nice, I couldn't be angry at him for telling me the truth. He was probably the nicest person I'd met so far and I figured I was better off making friends than enemies with him. Not that I thought Armin could ever have enemies. He seemed way too nice and timid for that, though I could always be wrong. The timid, polite ones were always the most dangerous kind. Something told me there was much more to Armin than he led on. 

"Tch. Hold the elevator you stupid brat." I heard Levi say as he trailed after me at his own pace. God forbid if he _run_ after his new assistant. I mentally rolled my eyes. I take back any and every thought I ever had of him being handsome and good looking. 

Levi finally got into the elevator and I pressed the button to close the doors before selecting the 26th floor and we started our short way down. It was dead silent the ride down and for once I didn't mind the tense silence. I'd much rather avoid having to talk to Levi until we were back at his desk where I'd actually _have_ to talk to him and do my fucking job. I may have promised Erwin that I would try and stick it out but something told me Levi wasn't going to make it easy on me in the least. 

Just before we reached our floor, I felt Levi push me against the cold chrome of the elevator wall. A set of pale hands had me pinned to the wall and my head knocked back against it harshly. I hissed at the dull throbbing pain at the back of my head but stiffened when I felt Levi's hot breath against the shell of my ear. 

"Listen here you little shit. You're an eyesore. I'm going to make sure I do anything and everything in my power to get you to quit by the end of this week, so don't think that this little set up will last for long." 

Just before the elevator dinged to signal our arrival to our floor, Levi released me and smoothed out his jacket and hair before walking out of the elevator doors as they opened leaving me slumped against the wall seething. This was going to a _long_ week but I won't let that deter me from my goals. I just needed to work here for one year and I could transfer wherever I wanted to after that. One year. 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days. I could do this. Eren Jaeger is not a quitter so watch your back Levi Ackerman! I'm going to be the best damn assistant you've ever had and make you wish you never wanted to get rid of me in the first place!

 **A/N:** Awesome art work was done by [thenewinshayneity](http://thenewinshayneity.tumblr.com/post/98049854297/heterochromaniac-levi-in-sailorsatan666-s-haute#notes)!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing angry-determined Eren. Also, plot twist! Both Levi and Eren have Heterochromia in this fic~


	3. I Like It Rough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“In difficult times, fashion is always outrageous.”_ — **Elsa Schiaparelli**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of Levi being an asshole and Eren doing his best to prove to Levi he's not easily broken. 
> 
> Sorry again for the switched POV's. I don't think I'll be keeping that up very much through out the fic since I don't really like it and I'm not used to writing that way anyway.

I've officially survived the first week as Levi's assistant, also known as the Editor-in-Chief of Recon Fashion magazine. The first day was hell, to put it simply. Levi wasn't kidding when he said he was going to do anything and everything in his power to get me to quit but I was determined to prove myself. So far though, I couldn't help but hate my boss with a burning passion. He made the most ridiculous fucking requests that normally had me running around like a mad man either all over the Survey Corp building or all over New York City in general. 

Still, I somehow managed to make it through the first seven days without murdering the fucking midget. He may have been good-looking and handsome and 'good at his job' but aside from all of that, Levi was just a straight up asshole who seemed to get a kick out of seeing me suffer. He was Satan in the flesh and I couldn't stand him. Luckily, though. I'd managed to make some friends within the company, aside from Armin. 

I met Sasha who was an impressive seamstress for Survey Corp Publications, she handled all of the model's altercations and basically tailored all of the expensive designer outfits for them. Her job was pretty impressive and I learned that on the side of being just a seamstress, she also made outfits of her own. She was a bit of a pig when it came to food but overall, Sasha was a nice girl and I got along with her pretty well. 

Next was Krista and Ymir. Krista was a total sweetheart but according to Armin, she had her moments where she could be authoritative. She worked with Jean at the receptionists desk taking calls and delivering messages to the editors and assistants like me so I got to talk to her very often. Ymir on the other hand worked in Features but she was always hanging around with Krista at the front desk. Apparently she was good friends with Jean which would explain perfectly why I didn't like her as much as I liked Krista. I avoided Ymir, honestly. 

Then there was Reiner, Bert and Annie. Reiner worked in the Style department, he was a big, burly guy. Hot, attractive, easy to get along with. Bertholdt (Or just Bert at the office) worked in Photo editing. You never saw Reiner without Bert right by his side which made me wonder if the two of them were a thing or not. I kind of hoped not since Reiner was kind of my type, tall, blond and muscular. Bert was a nice guy I guess, he didn't talk very much and he always looked kind of... sweaty. Still, I like him way better than Ymir. 

Then Annie. Surprisingly, despite her permanent stony expression and jaded demeanor, I'd gotten to know Annie quite well. She worked in the Art department but sometimes I'd catch her hanging around the Beauty department with Krista and Sasha. Being Levi's assistant meant I made frequent visits to the Beauty department so in that time, I'd chat with Annie and surprisingly we had a lot in common. She shared the same passion of MMA fighting that I did and we'd sometimes talk about fights we'd caught the previous night before coming into work. Annie was probably one of the only people besides Armin and Krista who actually tried to help me out with my work. 

Connie worked in the Photography department, I wasn't really sure what to make of him. He seemed to get along with just about everyone and sure he was friendly enough but he tended to hang around with the douche crew (a.k.a Jean and Ymir) and seemed pretty close with Jean. Not to mention he sometimes goaded on Jean's teasing me but when he wasn't around Jean and Ymir Connie seemed like a decent guy. I guess he was the type who easily gave in to peer pressure. He seemed close with Sasha though. 

And finally, there's Marco Bodt. Works in accounting and basically everyone's friend. Sweet, friendly, determined about his job. As soon as I met Marco I knew I would like him. Despite working for a completely different department altogether, I saw Marco around the office a lot since 1.) He was in charge of giving everyone their checks so he had to deliver them personally and 2.) believe it or not he was best friends with Jean of all damn people. Still, despite being Jean's best friend Marco didn't participate in Jean and Ymir's antics and he often hung around my desk to chit-chat with me. 

Which was what I was doing right at this very moment. Levi was in his office talking to the Creative Director, Hanji Zoe. From the rumors I'd heard about the woman, she was absolutely nuts. I hadn't met her personally, in fact today was the first day I'd even seen her but so far she seemed... normal enough. My attention snapped back to Marco when he cleared his throat awkwardly. 

"So, you got through your first week I see. What do you think about working here so far?" he asked shyly. 

Marco was a total cutie, I had to give him that. "Well, it's been... busy. Levi always has me on my toes and I think I probably lost 10lbs from all the running just last week alone." I chuckled. "But I guess it's not all bad. At least I got to meet some pretty interesting people, like you." 

Marco looked down at his shoes blushing. "T-That's good to know!" he paused. "Hey, if you make it another week I'll be able to personally deliver your first pay check to you." he said looking up from the floor and grinning. His freckles only adding to the cute factor that is Marco fucking Bodt. 

"Don't worry. I definitely don't plan on quitting anytime soon. Eren Jaeger is not a quitter." I said smiling up at him. 

"Glad to hear it, Mr. Jaeger." Marco said sarcastically earning him a playful eye roll from me. 

Yep. Things were looking up. I would show that damned Levi Ackerman just how good of an assistant I was and I would make it through my second week. I wasn't a quitter. Levi could hit me with his best shot. I say bring it on.

\- ◆ -

"So, let me get this straight. You're upset because Erwin hired _that_ cutie to be your new assistant?!" Hanji screeched.

I glared at her sucking my teeth loudly, "Tch! Are you blind you fucking bat? What about that _thing_ is cute? He's an eyesore with that messy mop of hair and those glasses, he doesn't have the slightest sense of fashion. He's boring, plain, there's nothing special about him other than his incredible ability to piss me off without even needing to lift a finger." 

Hanji threw her head back and cackled loudly wrapping her arms around her stomach. I rolled my eyes at the obnoxious sound of her laugh, it was like listening to someone scratch their nails against a blackboard. That was the effect her laugh had on me. 

"Oh, honey. I think _you're_ the one that needs glasses. He's totally a cutie pie! Sure his hair is a little messy and you can't see his face very well, but he's definitely not ugly. He's a diamond in the rough! I think you're just so used to your supermodels and your hot celebrity one night stands that you've forgotten what normal people look like." Hanji stood up from her seat and rounded my desk, throwing one of her arms around my shoulders and leaned down next to me. 

"Just look at him, Levi." she turned my chair toward the glass window of my office where I could clearly see Eren talking casually with the Bodt kid at his desk. "He's a natural beauty. I bet if you were to pin back all that hair, take away the glasses and put him in a suit he'd be just your type. Come on! Just look at that smile!" Hanji swooned. 

I narrowed my eyes at the kid with messy hair tied back into a loose pony tail as he smiled and laughed with the kid from accounting. He had a nice smile, So what? That wasn't enough to convince me to suddenly let the kid stay. He annoyed the fuck out of me and definitely knew how to grind my gears. Especially when he would come in when things were getting good between a Model and me. The kid had impeccable timing and I just knew Erwin probably put him up to it. I had to get rid of him. 

Still, I had never seen Eren smile or laugh that way before. It was strange seeing him express something other than anger or annoyance or as of late, boredom. Every time I saw him, the kid was frowning or just looked plain pissed off all the time. I was starting to think that was just how his face looked. Seeing him laughing and smiling and chatting so casually with the accountant guy annoyed me for reasons I didn't want to acknowledge. I pressed the button for the intercom on my office phone, 

"Stop flirting and get the fuck in here, Jaeger. Bodt, get back to your own floor." I growled into the intercom. 

Hanji eyed me curiously but I ignored her stare. I was not about to give her the satisfaction. I watched as Eren's smile dropped completely off his face and was replaced with that familiar frown, although at this point it just looked like a scowl. His expression smoothed out momentarily as Bodt said something to him and Eren gave him a small smile and a nod before the other left and the frown was immediately back on his face as he stood up and entered my office with a note pad in hand. 

"Yes, Levi?" he asked, sounding exasperated. The little shit face. 

"What do you think you're doing, you little shit. Hurry up and get me my black tea, and I need last months issue on my desk by the end of the day. Did Erwin hire you to just sit on your lazy ass all day or did he hire you to do your fucking job?" I spat. 

I didn't even bother looking at the moron as I turned in my chair to face the window to finish writing down some notes on last months mock up of Recon Magazine. I thought I heard the sound of Eren's sneakers turning to leave the room but then I heard him speak to Hanji, 

"I'm sorry, Miss Hanji. Would you like me to get you anything on my way? Tea? Coffee? Water?" I heard him ask in a sweet tone that made me want to puke. 

"Well, aren't you just a sweetie! Since you asked, A large coffee would be great! Three creams, four sugars and oh! One of those little muffin things from the cafeteria!" Hanji squealed. I could practically hear her bouncing up and down in her seat. 

"Of course, Miss Hanji. I'll be right back." finally I heard Eren depart from my office shutting the door behind him and I turned in my seat to glare at Hanji who was smiling like an idiot.

"Don't even say it." I said, stopping her before she even thought about running her mouth. I should have known it wouldn't stop her from running her mouth anyway, it was fucking Hanji for crying out loud. 

"You're being ridiculous, Levi. He's a total cutie pie and a sweet heart to boot! If you don't want him, then I'll take him!" she declared with a manic grin. "Something tells me he's quite the specimen underneath all those clothes. Have you seen how good his ass looks in those jeans!? Those have to be women's jeans because they too tight to be mens!" she squawked. 

I rolled my eyes so hard at that, "Jesus fucking Christ, Hanji. How many times do I have to tell you? There's nothing special about him and I highly doubt his ass looks as good as you say it does. I've dated underwear models with asses made by the gods themselves, he could never measure up." 

Hanji scoffed, "Those asses were made by Doctors, Levi. Please, this ass is Au natural and all kinds of nice. Seriously. Next time Eren comes in, you'll see what I mean." 

"Whatever. Let's just finish this shit. Fabian will be here soon and I have to pretend that I'm actually familiar with his work." I said flipping through a portfolio. 

I heard a snort, "Honestly, Levi. How is it that you had a brief relationship with this photographer and yet you don't even know his work?" 

"Like I gave a shit about what kind of work he did, Four eyes. He was hot, I was horny. We fucked a few times, I got bored with him. End of story. That was two years ago. Muddy water under the bridge." I dismissed her pointed stare. I didn't need to hear a fucking lecture from her of all people. 

"You know, one of these days all this man whore business is going to come and bite you in the ass and you're going to regret ever building up this kind of reputation." and there it was. The fucking lecture I didn't want to hear. 

I glared at Hanji, shutting the portfolio closed. "Yeah, well when that day comes I'll let you know, shitty glasses." I said with a smirk. 

Just then, Eren came back into my office with a tray of the requested items. A perfectly polished, silver tea kettle with matching silver tea cup (no handles),last months issue of Recon magazine, Hanji's big ass cup of coffee and the mini muffin she had asked for. Eren placed the tray at the edge of my desk, handing me the issue first and then pouring me a fresh cup of black Assam before he took Hanji her coffee and muffin. 

"Oh! You even got my favorite kind of muffin! Eren, how did you know?" I heard Hanji say excitedly as I took a sip from my tea. Shit, he even got the amount of sugar to use just right. This was bad. He was actually getting good at his job. I needed to stop this. 

"Ah, I just asked Moblit what your favorite type of muffin was and he told me. I would have been back sooner if it weren't for that." Eren admitted sheepishly. I glanced down at the time on my wrist watch. He managed to get everything that was asked for him in a ten minute time span. Fuck. 

"Can I get you anything e-" 

"No. Get the fuck out." I said motioning with my hand for him to shoo. I thought I caught him rolling his eyes but when I looked up again to confirm my suspicions my eyes got a nice view of his backside as he retreated out of my office. Well fuck, Hanji was right. That still didn't change anything though. So what if he had a nice ass? The nicest ass I'd ever seen actually... _shit_. 

I had to stop this before it went any further. I would have to make his job so hard, so utterly ridiculous and taxing that he'll be begging Erwin to fire him. I would _break_ Eren Jaeger if it was the last thing I did.

\- ◆ -

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvK0BDWRM4c) If I thought my first week working for Levi was hell, I was wrong. It only got harder the longer I stayed. He had me doing the most ridiculous of tasks, like scraping gum off the bottom of his shoes, sometimes even dog shit. He would call me at all hours of the night asking me to run errands for him, apparently he has insomnia and likes to try and get work done at the office when he can't sleep. Fucking bullshit. I had to pick out the shit in his salads that he didn't like before the lettuce wilted or got to room temperature and I had to run all the way across town to pick up his dry cleaning because apparently they were the only dry cleaning store he trusted to actually press and steam his clothes the way he liked them.

By friday, I was so fucking done with this shit. I was exhausted, running on fumes really. I had maybe only gotten a total of 8 hours of sleep this entire week combined and I honestly had no idea how I was doing it anymore. Coffee didn't even help, it just served to fill my bladder up quicker than I cared to know and I had to pee every 30 minutes with all the cups of coffee I was drinking these days. I'm pretty sure my blood pressure was sky high and I felt my heart palpitating like crazy due to all the caffeine but I had to soldier through it. 

I glanced into Levi's office, the bastard looked completely fine sitting there with his feet on top of the desk. His stupid shiny Armani shoes that _I_ fucking cleaned glistening in the sunlight. Speaking of sunlight, Levi was meeting with one of the photographers for the cosmetic line Recon was featuring in their beauty section and the guy had insisted on opening all the shades in Levi pristine office to let in the sunlight. 

I noticed the way Levi squinted from the light and would often squeeze his temples which only meant one thing. He was going to have a massive migraine once this was all over. Now, I didn't normally care if Levi was suffering physically or not but because I knew he had Heterochromia like me and because I knew the struggles of being forced to look at direct sunlight for such long periods of time, I knew what he was currently going through at the moment and I can't believe I was actually going to say it but... I felt bad for him. 

I quickly got up from my desk to get a few things before I knocked politely on Levi's office door. With the usual 'What the fuck do you want?' as permission to enter, I opened the door and quickly glided across his spacious office ignoring anyone else in the room. Not that they were exactly paying much attention to me in the first place. I set a glass of water down on Levi's desk along with a couple of pills before I moved toward the window closest to his desk, the one that was blinding him with sunlight, and I lowered the shades just enough so that he wasn't being hit directly by the blinding light. Just glancing up to pull the shades down had my own eyes hurting, having Heterochromia meant high sensitivity to certain things like bright sunlight or just any bright lights in general. I could understand and sympathize with what Levi must be going through right now. 

Then I glanced at Levi who was giving me a confused look and I motioned for him to drink the pills before I strode out of his office just as quickly as I had come in. I may have known and understood what he was going through but that didn't mean I wanted to be around him any longer than I needed to be. I hated him for all the shit he was putting me through and that wasn't about to change just because of this little incident. I went back to my desk and continued to update Levi's contacts since he'd gotten a new phone and all his contacts needed to be transferred to the new one. 

Two hours later the photographers left Levi's office and Levi poked his head out. He narrowed his eyes at me before he walked out from his office and approached my desk side. I looked up at him giving him a jaded look and for once he looked like he didn't know what to say. Him, the great Levi Ackerman, Mister Big and In Charge. World's biggest asshole. 

"How?" he eventually asked. 

I gave him an exasperated look as I tilted my head, "How what?" I asked incredulously. 

"Don't get smart with me, Jaeger. How the fuck did you know the sun was bothering the shit out of me and giving me a migraine?" 

I sighed heavily, I couldn't tell him the truth obviously. "I know someone who has eyes like yours..." I started hesitantly. "He's always complaining about the sunlight hurting his eyes and giving him headaches, even when we're inside a building. I just figured since you were sitting directly in the sunlight and squinting. It was just a guess about the migraine though." I was usually bad at lying but I didn't consider this lying. I considered it tweaking the truth. 

Levi eyed me suspiciously and I kept my gaze focused on the bright screen of my desk top until I heard Levi eventually huff before he turned and started back for his office. Before he shut the door, he poked his head back out and said, 

"Don't clock out yet. I need you to stick around for my 'meetings'." and then he disappeared into his office. 

Fuck. He was going to make me work overtime again? I couldn't believe this shit. This was the fourth night in a row. I sighed and nibbled my lower lip, there was an hour left until seven o clock, the time I'm officially supposed to clock out. I felt all the exhaustion from this past week catching up with me and I rested my head on the cool glass of my desk for only a few moments while closing my eyes. I could feel how dry my contacts were from the lack of sleep and the lack of drops and it only served to further raise my annoyance with this entire week. 

Just one more day Eren, then you'll have the entire weekend to yourself. After a few minutes of giving myself a halfhearted pep talk in my head, I sat up straight in my desk and started finishing my tasks at hand before the day came to an end.

\- ◆ -

Levi had me standing outside of the fucking office building, in 50 degree weather keeping an eye out for a black Mercedes Benz that he was expecting. Who the fuck expects a client at 9:00pm on a friday night? Levi had made me swear that I would call him and tell him as soon as I saw the Mercedes come into view but I was more focused on the fact that I was freezing my god damn ass off.

My cell phone rang suddenly and I fished it out of my parka checking the caller I.D first (I'd become weary of accidentally taking one of Levi's calls). It was Mikasa. I answered the phone immediately wondering why she would be calling me so late. 

"Mikasa?" I answered, my voice laced with concern. 

"Eren, where the hell are you? You were supposed to be home two hours ago." I could hear the way her usually soft voice trembled slightly with anger. 

"I'm sorry, something came up and I'm still working." 

She sighed, "You forgot what tonight was didn't you?" 

I opened my mouth to retort but I paused? Tonight? What was tonight? I let the silence drag on as I thought long and hard about what she was saying. Today was Friday, the date was November the 10th. November the 10th... oh shit. 

"Oh my god... today is Mom's-"

"Mom's Birthday. Exactly. How could you forget, Eren?" I could hear the clear anger in Mikasa's voice now. 

"Fuck, I'm so sorry, Mika. You know I am, but what the hell am I supposed to do? Levi is making me stay until he says I can go. I can't just leave, he's my boss!" 

"Eren, that man has been putting you through hell these past couple of weeks. I don't understand why you just don't quit? You can get a job somewhere else, anywhere else, Eren." 

"Mikasa, I'm not going to talk about this right now. I've gotta go." I ended the call before she could protest. 

I leaned back against the wall of the building heavily. The buzz of New York fading in the background as I let today's date sink in. Shit, how could I have forgotten Mom's birthday? I never forget, not once. Since the day she died it's been a tradition for us to visit her grave together, eat her favorite dish for dinner and then sit around the living room just the three of us looking through old pictures of our family. And I had forgotten and worse, even missed it completely because of my fucking job. I felt awful, and the painful lump in my throat told me I also kind of wanted to cry. 

Suddenly, a sleek black Mercedes pulled up right in front of the building. A tall, handsome man with slicked blond hair and an outfit more suited for a night club climbed out of the back seat and strutted toward the double doors. I figured that was the client Levi was meeting with so I quickly fumbled with my phone to dial his direct line. It rang only once before his breathless voice answered the phone,

"What?" he growled out. 

I hesitated to answer as I listened to his labored breathing and harsh panting on the other end. "Spit it out, Jaeger. Or did you call me to waste my fucking time?" he said impatiently and I was snapped back into the present. 

"Um, the black Mercedes arrived. A man came out and he's on his way up now." I managed to say after I swallowed the painful lump and blinked away moisture from my eyes. The cold air chilled my wet eyelashes and made me shiver. I kind of figured I probably had a cold nose by now too after standing out here for nearly an hour. 

"Tch. Couldn't you have said something sooner? Fucking brat." Levi grumbled. 

I frowned even though I knew Levi couldn't see it. "Look, Levi. If that's all you needed then can I go? I kind of have somewhere I need to b-" 

"No. Stay here until I tell you I don't need you anymore." he hung up right after that and I was left with my mouth hanging open in disbelief. 

I could not fucking believe this shit. Just who the hell did he think he was? This man never failed to infuriate me in every way possible. Did he honestly think I couldn't piece two and two together and figure out that these so called 'clients' of his were actually just his fuck buddies? Did he honestly think I was that stupid? I wanted nothing more than to march right up there and give him a piece of my god damn mind, yell or even scream at him for forcing me to stand around outside in the cold on the day of my dead mother's birthday just so he could get a good fuck. The only thing that stopped me from doing so was the sound of someone calling my name from a sleek silver Porsche with tinted windows.

I turned to the source of the voice and saw Armin sticking his head out of the passenger side of said Porsche as he waved at me. He was smiling widely and motioned me over toward the car that was parked at the curb in front of the building, the soft purr of the engine could still be heard though. I approached the care wearily, 

"Eren, what are you still doing here? Your shift ended two hours ago didn't it?" he asked, tilting his head curiously. 

I was about to open my mouth and let out all my frustrations concerning Levi when a familiar set of calculating blue eyes and handsomely well-shaven faced appeared right behind Armin's head. Fuck, it was Erwin Smith. That explained the car and the reason Armin was sitting in the passenger's side. Any complaints I wanted to shoot off about Levi suddenly died in my throat. 

"Hello, Eren." he greeted politely with that devilishly charming smile of his. "Are you waiting for someone?" he asked. 

Well, fuck. What was I supposed to do now? Should I just tell him that Levi told me to stand out here and freeze my ass off while he fucked some guy in his office? Should I lie? Wait, why the fuck should I cover for that fucking jerk? He made me miss an important occasion, one that had me on the verge of tears only moments ago. If anything, he deserved to be snitched on and chewed out by Erwin. Apparently, my mouth wasn't on the same wave length as my brain and what I said next had even me flabbergasted. 

"Oh, um, yeah. I'm waiting for someone... my sister." why the fuck had I just brought Mikasa into my web of lies? 

Both blonds gave me dubious looks and I smiled nervously. Thank goodness my hair was so long and covered my ears, otherwise they'd both be able to see just how red they actually are from telling them an obvious lie. Still, I didn't need red ears to prove I was lying through my fucking teeth but what I still couldn't understand was why the fuck was I covering for that jack off Levi? He deserved an angry tongue lashing from Erwin if nothing else. 

"I see. Well, then. We'll see you at work tomorrow, Eren. Get home safely." Erwin said with another polite smile. 

Armin gave me an apologetic look and mouthed silently for me to text him. Oh, I would. I definitely would. I needed to talk to someone about this whole Levi thing and Armin and I had gotten pretty close over the last two weeks. We didn't work on the same floor but yet I probably saw Armin as much as I saw Marco which was definitely on a daily basis and he always made sure to stop by my desk to chit-chat a bit. He was the only person I'd given my personal phone number to and we texted quite often. 

The windows to Erwin's car were rolled up and soon the silver Porsche was speeding off down the road leaving me behind in the cold, late autumn air. This cold was nothing, really. Compared to the below freezing temperatures in December and January, this was still considered kind of warm for New York standards but shit, when you're standing still for so long in even this mild cold it was enough to get you feeling like a giant meat Popsicle. 

I sighed heavily as I returned to my previous spot by the building, leaning against a giant stone pillar as I wrapped my arms around myself tightly to keep my own body heat from escaping from the parka I was wearing. I crouched down until I was in a semi-sitting position, back pressed against the wall as I rested my elbows on top of my bent knees. There was no point in rushing back home, I had already missed mom's birthday and by the time I got there it would be much too late to go to the cemetery and visit her grave or do any of the things I normally would have liked to have done. It was frustrating, and as I sat there and let the cold, dry air bite away at my exposed face I couldn't stop the tears that flowed freely. 

I didn't like to quit, I wasn't raised to be a quitter. My parents always taught me to fight for what I wanted, if you don't fight you can't win. That one principle had stayed with me through out my life and was the one thing that always pushed me to keep striving for bigger and better things despite not being any good at a lot of things I tried out. It didn't matter if I wasn't the most talented soccer player, or the most talented swimmer or even the smartest kid in my class. I always worked my ass off and put my all into whatever it was I was currently passionate about and I made up for what I lacked in raw talent with pure determination and will power. 

I wiped away a hot tear with a finger as I settled a little more comfortably in my spot, well as comfortable as anyone can get crouching against a cold stone pillar in 50 degree weather. My eyes felt tired and heavy as I stared at the sidewalk in front of me, even the pavement in front of the Survey Corp building was void of any old spit gum or pigeon shit. It was quite possibly the cleanest sidewalk I've ever seen in New York City, period. My eyes dropped and I tried to shake the sleep away but after an entire week of running around and doing Levi's shit, the exhaustion was finally starting to catch up to me and against my will my eyes slid shut and I slipped into darkness.

\- ◆ -

"Mmm. That was great, baby." the hot model I didn't care to remember the name of purred as he buttoned his shirt.

I was currently cleaning up my office after having two rounds of hot sex with two different models, despite my tired body, I couldn't leave knowing there was fucking dried cum on my desk. It would just itch at my skin if I did and I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing such a disgusting thing dried on the glass overnight. 

I felt a pair of hands slide over my shoulders and under my arms until their were wrapped around my waist and a warm pair of lips nipped and licked at my ear lobe making me jerk away in disgust. What part of 'no hugging or cuddling after sex' didn't this fucking idiot understand? I pried their arms away from my waist and turned around to glare at the hot blond who I had just fucked over my desk a few minutes ago. 

"If you're done getting dress, then hurry up and get the fuck out so I can finish cleaning. You're annoying me." I growled out. 

The blond scoffed, "Don't be like that, baby. I thought maybe we could go back to your place and-"

"No. Absolutely not. You know the fucking rules, I made them clear the moment you agreed to meet me. No strings attached, no hugging or cuddling, and definitely no spending the night." 

"But, Levi-" 

"Get out. I said you're annoying me." 

The blond looked slightly hurt but more angry than anything. He snatched up the leather blazer he had brought with him and flipped me off as he stomped off toward my office door slamming it with a little more force than was necessary but whatever. If he broke anything he would have to pay for it. I knew how to get a hold of his people. Sighing with annoyance, I went back to cleaning my desk until I was satisfied that I had gotten any trace of the drying jizz of my glass desk. 

After a thorough cleaning of my entire office, I grabbed my things and headed out of my office for the night stopping only briefly in the men's bathroom to fix my appearance and smooth out any stray hairs that might still be out of place from my strenuous activities tonight. My mind drifted back toward the fact that I had told Eren to stay outside until I told him he could leave. That was almost an hour and half ago. I snorted to myself loudly, the brat probably got pissed and went home. He sounded pretty agitated on the phone when he called me. 

Shrugging it off, I continued on my way out of the building taking the elevator down to the main lobby floor. The building was empty, naturally, save for the few guards that were placed by the front to make sure there weren't any sneaky little pests that tried to break in for whatever reasons. Not that they could anyway but it was still a necessary safety precaution. I gave one of the guards a curt nod as I made my way out of the front doors, was not surprised when I didn't see a familiar mop of messy brown hair still waiting there. I predicated as much. This was probably the last straw for the kid and he'd be sending in his resignation by the morning. 

I was wrong, however. My eyes widened when I rounded the corner of a stone pillar and saw that familiar mop of brown hair crouched against the stone, chin tucked slightly into his parka and huddled into a small little ball of sorts with his arms wrapped around himself. I could see the way his body visibly trembled as I slowly approached him. I couldn't fucking believe it, this idiot actually stayed out here for three whole hours and hadn't left. As much as I disliked him, I had to give him some kind of credit for accomplishing that. 

As I closed the distance, I noticed that he wasn't even reacting to my close proximity. I was practically looming over his hunched figure but he kept himself tucked into his jacket. It was only when I crouched down to his level that I noticed his eyes were closed. The kid was asleep? Are you fucking kidding me? How the fuck could anyone fall asleep outside leaning against a stone pillar in 50 fucking degree weather? This guy was unbelievable. 

I'm not really sure what came over me, call it habit or maybe it was just one of those random things that your body does when you're not fully in control of your thoughts but I reached a hand out and pushed some of that mess of brown hair away from his face. What I saw stunned me a bit. Long, light brown lashes shimmered in the city light looking slightly wet like he had been crying. Now that I got a better look, his cheeks were stained with dried tears. He was... crying? 

From this angle, watching him sleeping so peacefully with tear stained cheeks bathed in city lights had my heart doing back flips for some strange reason. It was like I was looking at a completely different person from the angry, annoyed kid who was always scowling at me whenever I asked him to pick up my dry cleaning or get me a coffee. This person was foreign to me and strangely beautiful, and if I didn't know who Eren was I probably would have thought he was attractive in an ethereal sort of way. There was just something so otherworldly about him now as I took in the sight of him. 

Suddenly I was snapped out of my strange thoughts when he started to shift and stir and I quickly retracted my hand as his wet lashes started to slowly open. I saw the dark green of his eyes slowly reveal themselves as those light brown lashes fluttered open and his vision refocused. I stayed in my spot, crouched in front of him to see what his reaction would be. I did not expect the immediate scowl that made it's way onto his face as soon as he seemed to realize it was me in front of him staring at him. 

"Oh, it's _you_." he mumbled quietly into his parka before he unwrapped his arms from around himself and straightened up. I mimicked his actions. 

"Did you really just fucking fall asleep out here?" I asked sounding a bit more annoyed than I intended to come off. 

He stared at me for a long time, his eyes seemed to be searching for something on my face but when he didn't find whatever he was looking for he sighed heavily through his nose before he started for the opposite direction of where I was going. 

"If you're done, then I'm going home." was all he said as he brushed past me. 

What possessed me to reach out and stop him from walking away, I have no fucking clue. The only thing I could think about was the way I saw his long lashes wet and shining with fresh tears and his cheeks stained with old ones as they dried. He had done as I asked of him and waited out here in the damn cold, maybe I was just feeling guilty which was so fucking unlike me, but I thought the least I could do was give this kid a ride home. 

"Wait. You're just going to fucking walk all the way home or what jack ass?" Okay, so maybe that could have been phrased better. 

Eren stopped but he immediately whipped his head around to look at me and I could see the clear anger and agitation on his face as his thick brows knitted together tightly and his lips pressed together in a tight line. He narrowed his dark green eyes at me, 

"Are you seriously going to stand there and ask me a stupid question like that?" he glared at me with those narrowed eyes for a moment or two and I only glared right back at him because I wasn't really sure what I was even doing. I had just stopped him without even thinking twice about it, like it was on instinct. 

He looked away finally and scoffed wrenching his hand out of my grip like my touch physically burned him. 

" _Goodnight_ , Mr.Ackerman." he spat out viciously before he started walking away again. 

Why did I suddenly feel like the world's biggest asshole?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Levi. When will you learn? Everybody wants a piece of the Jaeger booty.
> 
> ****** Thank you again my darling, [Paulinkaaxx](http://paulinkaaxx.tumblr.com/post/99704404982/just-wanted-to-hug-him-the-whole-time-i-was) for the wonderful fanart! You're going to spoil me absolutely rotten! Ugh! -blows endless kisses-


	4. Dirty Laundry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“I loathe narcissism, but I approve of vanity.”_ — **Diana Vreeland**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Character development? Or not. I don't even know, here have a thing. 
> 
> Jean is #Thirsty with a capital T.

"Yes, Satan?" Eren's jaded voice came through the intercom. 

I choked on my coffee while Hanji cackled in her seat. Fucking Jaeger. I grabbed my handkerchief from my pocket and immediately wiped away the dribble of coffee that was making it's way toward my expensive [shirt](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=135195534). Behind the glass, I could see the little shit smirking as he watched me choking on my coffee in amusement. 

" _What_ was that, Jaeger?" I growled back into the intercom. 

"I said, Yes, Levi? What can I do for you?" he said in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice while batting his eyelashes and smiling. 

"Tch, That's what I thought." I sucked my teeth glaring at him. "Get your ass in here." I hissed. 

I watched him through the glass as he oh so very reluctantly stood up from his desk and grabbed a note pad and pen before walking into my office. Hanji was snickering quietly and I shot her a fierce glare shutting her up.

"You better have the mock up for November's issue." 

"It's underneath your feet." Eren deadpanned. 

My eyes shot to the thick book resting underneath my raised feet and sure enough it had the name of the Magazine on the front of it with 'Important and Confidential' in small print on the bottom. Well shit. I heard more snickering from Hanji and looked up to see the both of them smirking at me. Tch. 

"Hurry up and give me my damn messages." I said through clenched teeth as I removed my feet from the book and immediately started flipping through it. 

"Natasha called. She wants to know if you're ever going to call her back."

"Ignore." 

"Brad called asking if you got the wine he sent you... and the edible underwear."

"Ignore." 

"Your mother called and demanded you visit for Thanksgiving." 

"Ignore." 

"The Devil called. He said your express limo ride to hell is ready." 

"Ignore." 

Hanji's obnoxious laughter is what made me look up to see a frowning Eren. I smirked knowing that I still had ways to get underneath the kids skin. If he thought his snarky little comments were cute, they weren't. Although I'll never admit it out loud, they were kind of funny... if they weren't directed toward me specifically. 

The phone in my office rang and I promptly ignored it, letting Eren take care of it since it's his fucking job. He quickly reached for it before the second ring, knowing by now how I hate calls to go unanswered beyond the first ring. What can I say? I run a tight ship. Like I give a fuck. 

"Levi Ackerman's Office, this is Eren. How may I help you?" 

There was a long pause of silence and after it dragged on a little too long I glanced up to see what the problem was to see Eren glaring at me, like a parent reprimanding a child.

"Please hold." he said monotonously before he slammed the phone down on it's receiver. "Line 2." was all he said with a sweet smile before he turned and started walking away. 

"Oi, wait you shitty brat. Who the fuck is it?"

"Sorry, I have to go and check on how the preparations for your meeting this afternoon are coming along." he said as he hurried out of my office leaving Hanji and I alone. 

"You guys are so adorable. You're like a married couple." Hanji snorted. "You gonna take that call or?" 

I rolled my eyes not wanting to comment on that 'married couple' comment. It was kind of true, the brat had gotten too comfortable with me lately. He was already in his third week here at Recon and even I was starting to rely on him a little too much for my liking. I still hadn't given up my original plan to get him to quit, that I would still make sure happened. I picked up the phone and took the call off hold answering as professionally as possible, 

"What the fuck is it?" Professional. Check. 

"Levi?" a woman's breathy voice came from the other end of the line. Well, that certainly caught my interest and apparently my reaction caught Hanji's interest as she shot up from her seat and put the call on speaker so she could hear what was being said. "I'm so glad I got a hold of you. I need you so badly. I can't stop thinking about you, ever since we spent that amazing night together in Paris." the woman's voice was thick with lust and arousal and I noticed Hanji gagging dramatically out of the corner of my eye. 

"Really? What a coincidence, I haven't been able to keep my mind off you either." I played along, leaning back in my seat with a smirk. I heard Hanji snort loudly and I glared at her. 

"Oh, Levi! I can't take it anymore, please, let me come over tonight. I need you, baby." 

"Since you asked so nicely. Ten o clock sharp. I'll see you tonight." and then I ended the call. 

Hanji eyed me dubiously, "So, who was that?" 

"I have no fucking idea. But I do know I'm getting laid tonight." 

"You're awful." Hanji said sighing. 

"Tell me something new."

\- ♦ -

"We need something different."

"How about Lindsey Lohan?"

"I said different, not trashy." 

"Paris Hilton." 

"She's already been on the cover three times."

"Christina Ricci!" 

"No. She's too October. We need someone that screams December." 

"We might as well just get a fat guy with a big ass white beard in a bikini for the cover." 

"Um, excuse me?" 

All eyes in the room turned to Eren who was standing off to my side. The monthly meeting to discuss who the Cover Model for this month's issue was going nowhere fast and I was getting frustrated with all these stupid celebrity suggestions for December's cover. Eren awkwardly cleared his throat,

"Why don't we just put Levi on the cover? He is the new Editor-in-Chief and this is going to be his first issue release for Recon _as_ Editor-in-Chief. Think about it. The media has been all over him since he took up his new position, he's the hottest topic in the Fashion Industry right now and what better way to sell our magazine than to put such a controversial figure on the cover?" 

Shit. Eren had a point there. That was actually... the best idea I'd heard all month actually. The room was silent, the round conference table of all the other department heads murmuring quietly as if contemplating using the idea provided by an Assistant of all people. Eren looked nervous and slightly dejected as he waited for a response and I opened my mouth to say something, 

"IT'S PERFECT!" Hanji screeched. My mouth stayed slightly parted as I was interrupted. I watched as Hanji shot up from her seat and ran around the conference table pulling Eren into a tight bear hug as she ruffled his hair.

"It is a good idea." someone else murmured.

"Recon has never featured it's editor-in-chief on the cover before. It's unheard of."

"Imagine all the issues we'll sell." 

"It could be our best December yet." 

Well, this was getting out of hand. It's not like I particularly minded being considered for the cover of Recon but it's not exactly what I had in mind. I was the Editor-in-Chief, I'm supposed to be the one who gives the ideas not my Assistant. I loudly cleared my throat to catch everyone's attention, 

"We can't be that desperate that we'd be willing to settle for an idea pitched by an Assistant now are we?" I asked. 

"ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF EREN'S IDEA RAISE YOUR HAND AND SAY I!" Hanji beamed raising her hand. 

The entire room raised their hands and said 'I' in unison. I scowled and sucked my teeth at them, traitors. Suddenly, everyone stiffened and for a moment I thought it was because I was scowling at each and every one of them but a familiar deep voice cut into the thick silence of the conference room. 

"I think that's a wonderful idea." Erwin fucking Smith. He strutted in all cool and smooth in his grey Armani suit and his Prada shoes and his perfectly groomed blond hair smiling.

A watched with mild irritation as he placed one of his big ass hands on Eren's slender shoulder, the green jumper he was [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=135195232) was exposing just a bit too much of his collar bones now that I was paying closer attention to his outfit. I noticed the way Erwin's hand squeezed Eren's shoulder and lingered there a little too long for my liking. 

"Eren, what else do you think we could add into this issue? I'd very much like to hear your ideas." Erwin practically purred. 

Eren swallowed and I saw the way he gripped onto his notepad tightly before clearing his throat and stuttering over his words a bit. Erwin that bastard, was he making a move on my assistant? 

"Y-Yes! Um, well. H-How about we even devote a couple of pages in the magazine for Levi. We could include a small interview about what he plans to do as the new Editor-in-Chief of Recon Magazine, his expectations, give our readers a glimpse into just what the Editor-in-Chief does. We could even do a black and white photo shoot of Levi working in his office and place them next to the articles. Display his professional side." Eren ended confidently. 

The other editors in the room were buzzing by now and I noticed the impressed looks everyone was giving Eren. So the brat could come up with some good ideas, big fucking deal. Erwin now had both of his hands on Eren's shoulders, I couldn't ignore the way his thumb rubbed circles into the exposed skin there making me narrow my eyes at the pair. Eren was completely absorbed in Erwin's presence to even notice anyone else in the room now. 

"Do it. Get this cover done and into the magazine. I'll be eagerly awaiting the final mock up before the December Issue goes to press." Erwin smiled at all the others in the room before he released Eren's shoulders and made a move to leave. 

Just as he turned, I caught his gaze and I scowled at him. I wanted him to know that I was onto his little passes at Eren, ironic considering he hired the brat so _I_ wouldn't be tempted yet here he was hitting on _my_ brat. Wait, that's not right. I meant my assistant, yeah that's what I meant to say. 

Erwin left and I noticed Eren looking a little dazed as he stared after Erwin fucking Smith as he left the room and I cleared my throat loudly startling him. I stood up and shoved past him starting back for my office after concluding this meeting, 

"Get Mike Zacharius on the line. Book him to do this fucking photo shoot, I won't work with anyone else. Set up a meeting with him so we can go over concepts and themes." Eren was scrambling after me and I could hear him writing down everything I just said.

"Levi, what about the interview? Should I put together a list of reliable writers and journalists?" 

"Don't bother. Have Auruo Bozado do it. He's a journalist and looks up to me, he'll make the interview sound good on my part."

"Right. I'll get right on it." 

"And Eren," I stopped walking and turned back to look at him. "Good work in there." I mumbled quietly. Eren lit up like the fucking Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center and I felt a strange fluttering in my chest as I was blinded by his pearly whites. What was up with his teeth? They're so straight it's like I'm looking at a fucking advertisement for Colgate.

"Thanks, Levi." he said just as quietly as his eyes darted down to the floor shyly. 

"whatever, don't get used to it. I'm sure you'll fuck up somehow by the end of the day." I rolled my eyes and started for my office again. 

Eren and I separated once I reached my office. He did a B line straight for his desk and got started on those calls I told him to do. Despite having a large work pile sitting in front of me on my desk, I found myself distracted by Eren every once and awhile. My eyes would occasionally glance up to watch him through the glass of my office as he fluttered about his desk taking phone calls and writing down messages, tapping away at his keyboard with that smile on his face. 

I must have been going fucking crazy or Hanji just managed to get to me, or both, because for some reason I was actually kind of satisfied to know that I had been the one who caused him to smile like that. A simple little compliment and he's shining like the fucking sun. Eren Jaeger was truly a mystery to me.

\- ♦ -

"Here's the Mock up book, Levi." Eren said as he handed me the book, neon sticky notes sticking out of the top and sides.

"Fucking finally. Once I'm done going through it I can get the fuck out of here." 

I heard Eren chuckle softly, "I'll make you a fresh pot of tea." 

"Thanks." I mumbled as I watched him retreating out of my office. 

I sighed as I started flipping through the mock up book for this month's issue. All the departments had submitted their progress so far and everything was looking good, if all things went well with the cover shoot and the interview December's issue will be ahead of schedule and ahead of deadline. So far my first issue was starting to look like it was going to be a fucking success, and why wouldn't it? 

Eren returned shortly with a tray of my freshly brewed black tea. He poured me a cup which I gratefully accepted once it was offered to me and then he was back at his desk again, typing away at his keyboard. The tapping of the keys a dull but welcomed noise in the quiet office space. Most of the others had left already, Eren and I were probably the only ones on the floor right now. 

Halfway through the mock up, my eyes were already growing tired and the words in front of me were blurring. Shit, I'd been reading paperwork and looking at a computer screen all day. My eyes felt dry and they burned every time I tried to blink, sometimes forcing a yawn to get my eyes to water naturally since I didn't have any fucking drops with me. I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes trying to give them a little break of sorts, I startled when I heard the sound of Eren's voice right next to me. 

"You might want to try this." 

"Jesus fuck! What the hell, Jaeger?" 

"I'm guessing you didn't hear me come in?" 

"No shit, Sherlock. What is it?" 

He held out a small green bottle of eye drops in front of me, "Try this. I noticed you rubbing your eyes earlier and yawning. This will keep your eyes moist for a couple of hours. I use them all the time." 

I eyed the bottle dubiously and heard Eren give an exasperated sigh when I took too long to take the bottle from his hand. Like fuck I was going to use someone else's eye drops, who knows what kind of diseases I could get from having that anywhere near my eye. 

"Calm down, _Boss_. It's a brand new bottle. You're not going to catch my 'normal people' diseases." 

I sucked my teeth and snatched the bottle from his hand, my face felt a little hot from having been caught thinking that exact same thing just a moment ago. Was I really that fucking obvious? 

I unscrewed the cap from the small bottle and tilted my head back allowing the cold drops to fall into my eyes sending immediate relief to my retinas. I repeated the action for my other eye before handing the bottle back to Eren who only snorted and shook his head at me. 

"Keep it. I don't want to catch the 'asshole' disease from you." he said with a cheeky smirk. 

"Tch. Fuck off, Jaeger." 

Eren chortled and started for my office door. As much as I didn't want to, I couldn't help the smirk or the quiet chuckle that left me. The brat had adjusted quite quickly to my sour attitude. The first week he was mostly quiet, sometimes just glaring at me while he did whatever I asked of him. The second week he got just the slightest bit bolder, rolling his eyes at me or taking his sweet time to come when he was called. Now, he was just downright disrespectful toward me but I noticed he only acted so informally whenever it was just the two of us in my office. Still, I couldn't help but find his witty remarks amusing. There weren't many people I knew who could keep up with my own snark or sarcasm. 

Speaking of those very few people, one of them was making their way toward my office right now. Jean Kirstein.[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvQgBrQnqzk) He strutted into my office like the stuck up little douche bag that he was with a smug look on his long face and an air of pure arrogance that seemed to follow him wherever he went. If there was anyone who was an even bigger man whore than I was in this entire office, Jean fucking Kirstein was it. Which is exactly what I liked about him. 

"So," he drawled. "You look like you could use a good fuck right about now. How about ditching Jaeger and you can take me home instead?" he purred tugging on his tie to loosen it so his open [shirt collar](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=135101515) showed off his neck and collar bones. 

I smirked as he closed the distance between us and practically dropped himself into my lap. His fingers immediately traced patterns against my shirt while his other hand popped the first three top buttons open to expose more of my own neck and skin. I watched him lick his lips seductively and that was it for me. I slammed the mock up book closed, not caring that I was only halfway through with it before I caught Jean's lips in a hungry kiss. 

Jean was one of the few fuck buddies I kept close, but not too close. He knew my rules perfectly well and had no problems sticking to them which was why I still slept with him, plus he was a good fuck. But I also knew that he was only sleeping with me because of my position in the company. Jean wasn't exactly like Eren, honest, hard working and determined to climb his way to the top. Jean slept his way there, although sex didn't seem to get him anywhere past the receptionists desk if the last two years was any indication. Still, I kept him around with promises of giving him Eren's position. 

"This can wait until the morning." I growled against his lips before putting the mock up book away for the night. 

We parted lips and I sucked my teeth motioning for Jean to get the fuck off me so I could get my coat and get the fuck out of here. As I went for my coat, I noticed that Eren was completely absorbed with the bright screen of his computer as he typed away furiously. Good, that meant my little make out session with Jean wasn't seen. Didn't need him squealing to Erwin about my work affairs, or any affairs for that matter. 

I swiftly grabbed my coat and threw it on as I hurriedly made my way out of my office, Jean following closely behind me. Eren perked up and tore his gaze away from the computer screen when I exited my office and the glare he shot to Jean didn't go unnoticed. 

"Go home, Jaeger." I dismissed him quickly as I made my way past his desk. 

"Nah, why doesn't he just stay here and keep working? Maybe he'll finally be able to afford a haircut and some new clothes." Jean snorted loudly and I rolled my eyes. 

"Funny, because I'm pretty sure fucking a horse is illegal in the United States. _Oops_ , did I say that out loud?" Eren shot back and this time I was the one who snorted loudly as I heard Jean's flabbergasted spluttering. 

"Fuck you, Jaeger!" 

"You wish, Seabiscuit." 

I decided now would be a good time to cut in before anyone left here with a black eye or a bloodied nose. 

"Goodnight, Brat." 

"Uh-huh." He called back and I shook my head smirking.

\- ♦ -

"So," Jean said while he buttoned his shirt. "When's this Assistant's position opening up?" there was a sly grin on his face as he asked.

I sauntered out of the bathroom after taking a quick shower, I hated the smell sex left behind and the dried sweat was even worse. I had the towel I used to dry myself off wrapped around my neck as I joined Jean in my bedroom once more, he was sitting on the foot of my bed putting on his shoes. His shirt was still open with his silk tie hanging around his neck, his vest was still lying on the ground where I had thrown it once we got into my bedroom. Patience has never really been my thing. 

"I already told you. As soon as I can get Jaeger to quit, the position is all yours." I walked over to the mini bar and grabbed a clean glass before pouring myself a generous amount of Whiskey. 

As I took a long sip, I felt Jean come up from behind me and wrap his arms around my naked torso. He was a good few inches taller than me so I knew he had to bend his knees a bit to rest his chin against my shoulder. I felt his lips dragging against the skin of my neck and I growled in protest. He knew I hated doing this kind of shit right after fucking, kissing and hugging and all that other shit. 

I heard the smug chuckle as his teeth scraped against my deltoid and I swiftly maneuvered out of his embrace. I didn't usually mind hickeys, but I had only just remembered now that I was expecting someone else tonight. That woman I had spoken to on the phone earlier. I walked over to Jean's abandoned vest on the floor and picked it up tossing it at him.

"Hurry up and get the fuck out. I'm expecting someone soon and it'll look bad if you're still here when they arrive." I threw back the last of my whiskey and relished in the burn it left as it glided down my throat and into my stomach. 

Jean frowned, "You're meeting someone else already? That's quick, even for you." 

"Less talking, more walking." I said hearing the irritation in my own tone as I headed out of my bedroom and into the spacious living room. I could hear the sound of Jean's expensive shoes following after me followed by the snap of his designer watch. 

"So, who are you meeting up with? Is it anyone I know?" he asked just as we reached my front door. I typed in the code to unlock the deadbolt on the keypad and held the door open for Jean giving him a bored look as I watched him take his sweet ass time. 

"I don't even remember who the fuck she is, just know that I met her in Paris and we fucked." 

Jean snorted, "Sounds romantic." He finally stepped out my apartment door and I was started closing the door behind him when his hand stopped the door. 

"So you're still going to get back to me about that Assistant's position, right?" He asked, suddenly sounding so unsure of himself. 

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, already. Just fucking get out of here."

I noticed the flash of hurt in Jean's eyes but I ignored it as I shut the door on him completely and waited to hear his shoes turning to walk down the hall. It was dead silent. The idiot was obviously still standing by my fucking door, I could see his shadow coming from underneath the crack beneath my door and I let out an exasperated sigh before I was yanking the door open again. 

As I thought, the moron was still standing there looking like a kid who just got yelled at by his mom and I swiftly grabbed him by his tie and yanked him down smashing our lips together roughly. It was short, brief and mostly all teeth but he looked satisfied when I finally pulled away and released his tie from my grip. 

"Happy now?" I grumbled as I turned to go back into my apartment. 

I didn't wait for a response as I slammed the door shut behind me once I was inside and this time, after a moment of silence I could hear the sound of Jean's expensive dress shoes clacking against the shiny tile of the corridor. Fucking finally. I was starting to think he would never leave. As I cleaned up my bedroom and replaced the sheets, my mind drifted back to Eren and his witty little remarks about Jean looking like a horse. I couldn't help but snort and laugh at the memory of how pissed Jean was that Eren actually had the balls to talk shit to his face. 

I seemed to be thinking about the kid a lot these days and I didn't like it. I quickly shook off any Eren related thoughts and went about my business as I waited for my second booty call of the night to arrive. I didn't have to wait very long until there was a soft knock on the door. It's fucking good to be me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thirst is real.


	5. Baby Goodnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _"People will stare. Make it worth their while."_ — **Harry Winston**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, the cat's out of the bag.  
> Long, chapter is looong. But so totally worth it. 
> 
> If there are any typos/mistakes I apologize, considering it's such a massive chapter it literally took my two whole days to write. I'm just so tired of looking at it so if there are mistakes, please just try to over look them for now. I'll fix them when I feel like it.

"Did you remember to pick up my Dry cleaning?" 

"Got it." 

"Picked up my cat from the groomers?" 

"Done." 

"Called my mother and told her I'm busy Thanksgiving day and can't come to dinner?" 

"Yes and she told me to tell you you're an awful child but she hopes to see you for Christmas." 

Levi snorted, "Send her flowers and wine later today. Four dozen red roses and a bottle of Cabernet Franc, that's her favorite." 

"Because that's worthy of the 'Son of the Year' Award." 

"Watch it, Jaeger." Levi stopped walking and I stopped just behind him. "Where the fuck is this photo shoot taking place again?" 

"Studio 8. It's a couple blocks away from the Survey Corp building, Mr. Zacharius was the one who insisted the photo shoot be done there." 

"Tch, fucking Mike. If he wasn't such a damn good photographer and one of my ex-boyfriend's I would have hired someone else to do this shit." 

"You guys used to date?" I asked incredulously with a curious brow raised. 

"Surprised?" Levi asked with a smirk as he got into the car that was waiting for us. 

"Not really, actually." I mumbled as I slipped into the car after Levi. "I mean, is there anyone in this industry you haven't dated or slept with?" 

"Give me some credit, you little shit. I don't sleep with just anyone." He said as he lit a cigarette. 

"Could have fooled me. You did leave with the King of the Bronies last night." I shot back with a smirk. 

Levi rolled his eyes, "At least he's got better fashion tastes than you." 

I frowned at that, "You know, I have to ask, would it really make that much of a difference if I dressed more fashionably? Clothes are just clothes aren't they?" 

"Clothes make the man or woman, Eren. Don't ever underestimate the power of fashion." 

I sighed, "Yeah, whatever. We're here. Is there anything you need me to do while I wait for the shoot to be done?" 

"Just stick around in case I need you, otherwise stay out of the way." 

"Of course." I huffed following Levi as he got out of the car. 

The studio was massive. Totally the kind of photo shoot you'd imagine a famous Photographer like Mike Zacharius would put together. There were all kinds of people zipping past with clothing racks filled to the brim with designer clothes and other assistants like myself carrying coffees and bagels and other miscellaneous things. 

I quietly followed Levi through the chaos until we came to a clearing with high fold out chairs that read "Recon Magazine" on the back. Levi threw his coat over one of them as he went straight for a very tall blond haired man who was talking to a smaller woman with short strawberry blond hair.

"Petra, Mike." He addressed them simply. 

The two said persons being addressed turned and beamed at Levi, the smaller orange haired woman more than anyone else. I stood back a few feet from Levi feeling a bit awkward. 

"Levi! You're early!" the smaller woman said excitedly pulling Levi into a tight hug. 

I was slightly taken aback by the public show of affection because it's the first time I'd actually seen anyone (other than Hanji) dare to lay a hand on Levi let alone act so familiarly with him. The even weirder part was Levi was hugging her back and actually... smiling? Okay, that's not weird I guess or anything. Just weird because it's fucking Levi Ackerman the Devil incarnate. 

When he stopped hugging the smaller woman, he turned to the taller blond man and his smile softened just the tiniest bit. I felt like I was in an alternate universe or something, what the fuck is going on here? I didn't think Levi was capable of such expressions, he's pretty much Satan to me. 

"Levi. You're looking good, as always. You going in modeling now?" the blond man was obviously joking. 

Levi rolled his eyes and sighed, "As if. Erwin insisted I be on the cover of Recon's December Issue and I'm just following orders." 

"Oho? Well, hello Mr.December. I'll have to pin that cover up on my wall, who knows. Maybe even blow it up a few sizes." the big blond man smirked. 

"Still hung up on me huh, Mike?" Levi scoffed. 

"You wish, short stuff."

Suddenly, the smaller orange haired woman turned to me. Her surprisingly big, round eyes seeming to sparkle with interest as she eyed me from head to toe and I stiffened up not sure what to do under her gaze. Levi would probably be pissed if I introduced myself as his assistant, he barely wanted to be seen with me in the office let alone outside of the office. I didn't have to think long though, 

"Hello! Are you Levi's assistant?" the woman bounded up to me holding her hand out for me to shake. 

Levi and the taller blond man turned to look at us and I noticed the way Levi gave me a pointed glare. Ugh, since when do I care what this asshole thinks? Okay, fuck it. I was going to do this and if Levi got pissed about it then too fucking bad. I reached my hand out and took the woman's smaller hand in mine squeezing it lightly as I smiled back at her. 

"Yes, I am. Hello, My name's Eren." 

"Oh! Nice to meet you, Eren! You're really lucky to be working for someone like Levi, you know? My name is Petra! I'm Mike Zacharius's assistant!" 

I had to hold in the laugh that so desperately wanted to bubble out of me. Did she say I was _'lucky'_ to be able to work for Levi? For a whole minute there I thought this woman was going to be perfectly normal but I guess I was wrong. I sighed, not caring if Petra or Levi heard me. Levi did hear me and he was glaring daggers at me now. 

"Hello, Eren. So you're Levi's assistant? He's a tough one isn't he?" the tall blond man approached me repeating the actions of Petra as he held his large hand out for me to shake next. "I'm Mike Zacharius, the one in charge of doing this shoot. It's nice to finally meet you." 

"Ah, well. He definitely keeps me on my toes." I said with a nervous chuckle as I shook the man's hand with eagerness. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Zacharius. I'm a fan of your work." why lie? It was true. 

"Oh?" Mike seemed to perk up at this. "Are you now? Tell me, then. Which one of my projects was your favorite?" he asked with interest. 

"Oh gosh, well there were many that I loved but... I think your best project was the series of color splash photos you took of the white dove and the blue jay perched on top of a wall. I thought the pictures were gorgeous and the meaning behind their spread wings with only the blue jay's left wing being colored in was beautiful. I actually have a copy of that photo hanging in my room." I admitted shyly. 

Mike looked slightly surprised that I was actually familiar with his work and not lying when I said I was a fan. It was true I was aware of Mike Zacharius's work as a photographer and when Levi mentioned he wanted him to be the photographer for this shoot I was ecstatic but tried not to let it show. I didn't need to show Levi anymore proof that I was actually such a nerd for this kind of stuff. It's bad enough he thought I was a nerd already, not that I actually cared what the great man whore Levi Ackerman thought of me. I just didn't need him rubbing it in my face every chance he got thus further making my life a living hell. 

I was brought out of my thoughts when I felt something tickle the top of my head lightly. I stiffened when I realized that it was Mike leaning forward and... sniffing... me. What? I blinked, pressing my clipboard and notepad to my chest tightly as I wasn't exactly sure what to do. What does one do when someone is sniffing you? Smile and act as if it didn't happen? Thankfully the awkward sniffing moment was short and Mike was leaning back into place with a mysterious little smirk on his face. 

"Hm. You've a real interesting kid here, Levi. I like em." Mike said as he turned back toward Levi who was rolling his eyes and scowling. Did he have any other facial expressions? Oh wait, yeah apparently he did. 

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. If you're both done investigating the brat, I'd like to get this photo shoot over with. I _do_ have other places to be you know?" Levi huffed before stocking off somewhere. 

Petra and Mike stuck around a minute longer to chat with me and I ended up really liking them. They were nothing like the type of people I would associate with Levi, never in a million years. Petra was a complete sweet heart, kind and caring but as I watched her and Mike work I noticed she could be stern when she needed to be. Mike on the other hand, was kind of quirky but overall laid-back and pretty easy to talk to. He asked for my opinion on some of his other works and I was all too glad to dish out my nerdy feelings. 

Since Levi was busy in make up and getting his outfit on for the shoot, I sat in one of the fold up chairs provided and took calls via the bluetooth connected to Levi's office phone. This way, I could still receive Levi's calls even while I was out of the office. It was mostly just his annoying one night stands calling and asking when they could see Levi again, calls that I didn't bother to write down or relay to Levi since I knew he would only tell me "Ignore." and then walk away like he always did. 

"Eren!" a familiar voice called excitedly. 

I looked up just in time to see Sasha running toward me and jumping into my arms. I just barely managed to catch her in time and she clung to me like a cute little koala bear. I wasn't all that surprised to see Sasha at the shoot, she was one of the best seamstress's at Recon and it only made sense that Levi would ask her to be here to look over his outfit for the shoot. Still, I was happy to see a familiar face. 

"Hey, Miss Sasha Fierce." I teased giving her quick squeeze back before she tore herself away from me with a big grin on her face. (As usual, she had crumbs around her mouth.) 

"I love it when you guys call me that." she giggled. "Can you believe We're working with _Thee_ Mike Zacharius!? Ah! If he likes my work maybe I could even work with him again and who knows!? Maybe he'll even want to buy some of my designs!" she was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

I smiled warmly at her, "Yeah, that would be awesome, Sasha. I'm sure Mr. Zacharius will be happy with your work, if Levi of all people chose you specifically for this shoot then that's saying a lot, you know." 

"Oh gosh, that reminds me I'm supposed to be taking in Levi's outfit for the shoot. The blazer they wanted to use for the theme was a little too big for him so I had to tailor it at the waist and arms. Otherwise he'd look pretty funny with the sleeves hanging over his hands." she mused out loud and I had to stifle the laugh. She was basically telling me she had to adjust Levi's outfit because he was too short and small to fit into the default size that was sent over. 

"Hey!" another voice called out to us and both Sasha and I looked over to see Connie trotting over toward us. "Small world, huh guys?" he greeted with a lopsided grin. 

I still wasn't sure how I felt about Connie. I lumped him in with Jean and his douche crew so I usually didn't converse with him all that much. I wasn't exactly sure if I wanted to be all friendly with him when he usually participated in Jean and Ymir's immature antics. 

"Connie baby!" Sasha hugged him in a similar way she had hugged me only it looked a lot funnier with Connie since he was so fucking short and Sasha wasn't exactly light as a feather. 

"O-Oi!" Connie stuttered as he nearly stumbled to the ground with Sasha still wrapped around him. 

Then, the object of every gay man's wet dream came walking up to us. Okay, maybe not _every_ gay man's wet dream, but definitely one of my wet dreams. Reiner was striding toward Connie, Sasha and I in all his ripped glory wearing a tight red dress shirt and equally as tight jeans. Bertholdt was right behind him wearing a white dress shirt with a black pullover sweater and black slacks. Of course, you never saw Reiner without Bert somewhere behind him. 

The ripped blond approached us with a cocky grin on his face and I couldn't help but slightly bite the corner of my lip as he flaunted his muscles in that fucking shirt. I seriously think I have a thing for muscles because holy fuck, Reiner and Erwin were both fucking ripped and I would totally bend over a table and let them have their way with me any time. Oh my god, I needed to stop. I am fucking working, I do not need any awkward boners at work. 

"Hey," Reiner greeted coolly. "Looks like we're all working on the same shoot. Guess I'm pretty lucky." he was now eyeing me suggestively and I smiled. 

"Guess so. After all, Levi only chose who he thinks is the best for this shoot." I said. 

Reiner took a step toward me while Bert was attacked by Sasha and Connie tried to stop her from climbing him quite literally. I could smell the light cologne Reiner was wearing and fuuuck, I almost felt my knees going all weak and wobbly on me because I had a weak spot for nicely built men who smelled amazing. When did I become so shallow? Last time I checked, my last boyfriend wasn't either of those things. Well, it's not like Thomas smelled bad. He just didn't smell like a million fucking bucks like Erwin or Reiner did and he sure as hell didn't have the body or sex appeal to match. 

"Oh, yeah?" Reiner purred. I could feel him getting loser to me every second. "Would you believe me if I said I only accepted the job because I knew you'd be here too?" 

Oh, he was smooth. "Really? I never would have guessed." I said sarcastically with a little roll of my eyes. 

Reiner laughed, "I'm serious! You think I'm lying?" he asked with a quirk of his brow. 

"Who knows?" I teased. 

Just then Levi came back out wearing a solid black turtle neck and a pair of matching black slacks and the nicest black and white spats I'd ever seen. He had a particularly sour look on his face, one I'd never really seen before and I wondered if perhaps someone had pissed him off while he was getting fitted for his outfit. 

"Braun, quit flirting with Jaeger and get the fuck over here. You too Braus. We need to get this shit done by the end of the day." Levi turned and stocked off into the back dressing rooms and Sasha gulped and followed after him obediently. Reiner lingered by me a bit, giving me a strained look before he chuckled nervously. 

"Guess I was being a little too obvious." 

"You think? You better hurry up and do as he says." 

I placed a hand on one of Reiner's massive biceps and guided him in the direction Levi had just left in. Whether I was using it as an excuse to touch his muscle, I'll never admit to it but let me just say... Reiner had some very nice biceps and triceps. Like... super nice. I pushed him off in Levi's direction and he pretended to stumble before turning back and pouting at me and feigning hurt looking adorable at the same time. 

I chuckled and shook my head before turning back to see Jean of all fucking people walking on to the set, greeting Petra and Mike like he's known them for years. The annoying horse face. Strutting around in the dumbest looking [blazer](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?id=117222142) I'd ever seen, but I guess he made it work. I still didn't get this whole fashion thing sometimes. I looked down at my own attire and shrugged, I was only [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=135322728) a plain black pullover sweater and some jeans. No big deal. 

Unfortunately, he caught my gaze and War Horse was on his way toward me with the cockiest look on his face. God, I wanted to punch him. Maybe I could and I could just leave his unconscious body out back in the alley of the studio. Nobody even had to know and if I knocked him out good enough, Even Jean wouldn't remember who did it. Well, shit here comes Rainbow Dash now. 

"Where's Levi, Jaeger?" he asked. 

"Oh, I didn't know this shoot was going to be Ranch themed. Guess even horses can become models." 

"You wanna _repeat_ that?" 

"You know, I heard that horses have better memory than elephants." 

" _Jaeger._ " Jean warned. 

"Did you know that wild stallions aren't territorial but they'll fight for attention of another female horse?" 

"Fuck, Eren! Would you just tell me where Levi is?" 

"..." 

"Well?" 

I rolled my eyes and sighed, "He's in the dressing room getting fitted for his outfit." 

Jean said not another word before he turned and headed for one of the dressing rooms. Well, a 'Thanks' would have been nice you fucking jerk off. I clicked my tongue and shook my head deciding that fussing over Jean and his lack of manners wasn't worth my time. I took my seat on one of the fold up chairs once and decided that I was better off taking some calls for Levi while I waited for this shoot to be over.

\- ◆ -

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlbLbsEZrlw) An hour later, and Levi's photo shoot was finally starting. Mike had him standing in front of what looked like a New York City backdrop at night, which I thought was cleaver but couldn't he have just taken the photo shoot on an actual New York Street at night instead of using all these resources to fake a backdrop? Well, whatever. This was Mike Zacharius, the internationally famous photographer. Who was I to question his logic?

Levi was [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=135333597) the same black turtle neck from earlier, paired with (from what I learned from Sasha later) black Dolce&Gabbana tailor slacks and a white blazer with black trim around the pockets, cuffs and trim. The floral pattern on the jacket I never would have thought would flatter anyone but Sasha and Reiner did an amazing job pairing it with all the right items of clothing and Levi looked... hot. Fuck. They even slicked his hair back and everything.

Mike told Levi to pose certain ways here or there, and Levi would follow orders. Turning his head slightly to the side while side eyeing the camera with a sultry look in his bi-colored eyes, showing off the sharp lines of his jaw. The slightly smokey make up the people from the beauty department applied to Levi's eyes only intensified the silver and dull blue and made them pop dramatically, Mike would ask Levi to look at a certain light source so that his eyes would show catch and shine and they were simply stunning. He was simply stunning, as I'd noted since the first day I laid eyes on him. Sometimes they would make him drink from a champagne glass or smoke a cigarette slowly while Mike took multiple shots of him doing the action slowly.

Petra had put on some kind of music to get Levi in the mood to pose and his sultry, slightly arrogant look mixed with the music playing in the background was pleasing to watch. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought Levi was a professionally hired model who had been posing for the camera all his life. He was simply a natural when it came to tilting his face and body in the right directions to get just the right kind of look down. It was like he and Mike were on the same thought wave and they both knew what the other wanted and how to execute a pose perfectly. They were a good team. 

I tried not to get too distracted with Levi's shoot as I was still on call with some of Levi's advertisers for Recon, but it was kind of hard to tear my gaze away from him completely. Apparently I wasn't the only one, the whole damn studio seemed to be silently buzzing over how attractive Levi is and all eyes were on him currently. I thought I caught Jean drooling over Levi for a second but I did not need to have a mental image of Jean's stupid horse face drooling over my boss like he was a a steak being presented in front of a starving lion. 

Then the first leg of the shoot was over and Levi came and took a seat in one of the fold up chairs I was occupying. I had already prepared a cold sparkling water for him and after he took a few sips of his water, I took out a cigarette and lit it for him knowing that he was probably irritated with all these bright lights effecting his sensitive eyes. Without much thought, I whipped out a pair of sunglasses Levi always carried around in cases of emergencies and offered it to him. He raised a questioning eyebrow at me but took the sunglasses anyway. 

"Thanks." he mumbled and I said nothing in response. 

"Natalia from Brzenska Cosmetics called and wanted to let us know that Rico Brzenska wanted to set up a meeting to discuss the layout of her Cosmetic line in our Magazine." 

Levi hummed in response and that was all the encouragement I needed to keep talking. 

"Mr. Dot Pixis called, he just wanted to know how you were dealing with the new position. I told him everything was fine and his position was in good hands." 

Another hum in response as Levi took a long drag of his cigarette. 

"Annie from the art department said the layout for the new cover is done and waiting for your review when we get back to the Survey Corp building." 

Before Levi could give me another grunt in response, Jean came strutting up to Levi like he was the hottest piece of ass on this planet. I literally rolled my eyes at his presence and I saw the little curl of his lips as he eyed me and I decided that I would much rather take my break now instead of being forced to stand here and listen to Jean and Levi flirt with one another. I put my pen and notepad away and grabbed a cigarette and my cell phone before turning to leave for the back exit of the studio. 

"Where are you going, Jaeger?" I heard Levi call. 

"I'm taking my break. I'll be back in 15 minutes." I said, not bothering to look back at my boss as I made my way for the back exit. I passed by Sasha and Connie on the way out and told them I was going on break before I let out the back door and let out a sigh of relief as the chilled early afternoon air hit me in a rush. I balanced the unlit cigarette between my lips and lit up shortly after shoving my lighter back into my back pocket. I wasn't normally a smoker, only when I felt really stressed out or if I was really pissed but I think Levi was rubbing off on me. I found myself craving a cigarette after watching him take so many long, satisfying drags from the one I lit for him. 

I leaned against the chipped, brick wall behind me and took in my surroundings a bit. It was a dirty, wet back alley but at least nobody else seemed to be out here for the meantime. I decided I felt like talking to someone, so I sent Armin a quick text not wanting to call him in fear that he was still on the clock. (I knew when he went on break but sometimes he went without breaks if he was really busy)

>   
> **_Eren:_** Hey :p You on break? 

After I sent the text, I fiddled around with my phone a bit and filled my lungs with more nicotine before I got a response a short minute later. I shook my head and smiled because it was so typical of Armin to always be quick to reply. I slid my thumb over the new message notification and read Armin's reply, 

>   
> **_Eren:_** Hey :p You on break?
> 
> **_Armin:_** No, sorry :( I can text though. How's the shoot going?

 

I thought on it for a minute, what could I tell Armin about the shoot? I could just tell him the truth and say it was actually going better than I expected and we were already through the first leg and Levi looked incredibly hot..... OR, I could lie through my teeth and tell him it sucks (which I guess wouldn't be a total lie since Jean being here sucks major balls). I settled on the latter and typed out another reply. 

>   
> **_Eren:_** Hey :p You on break?
> 
> **_Armin:_** No, sorry :( I can text though. How's the shoot going?
> 
> **_Eren:_** It suuuucks. Jean is here for some reason. Doesn't that guy have a job?

 

I smiled a little at my own sarcastic response and decided that I felt like calling someone and talking instead of just texting so I scrolled through my most recent calls and selected a number pressing the screen to my cheek as I waited for the ringing to stop and someone to pick up. My wishes were answered when Mikasa answered her phone, 

"Eren? Are you calling me because you're on break?" She immediately asked when she answered. 

I smiled, "Yeah, I got 15 minutes to kill. Sorry, were you busy at work?" 

"No, I'm actually on my break too. What's up?" 

I rolled my eyes, "You're lying, Mika." 

I heard her huff indignantly, there was a long pause of silence and a lot of rustling noises before I heard her voice come through clearly again. 

"It's not like my boss cares if I take a personal call while I'm in the backroom. As long as I'm not working the front counter, It's fine." she reasoned and I sighed heavily. 

"Uh-huh. One of these days you're going to get in trouble, Mika. You don't always have to answer my phone calls." 

"I don't care. Anyway, how's that big photo shoot going? Is the midget giving you a hard time again?" 

"No, actually. He's been... fair, so far. Nothing compared to last week I guess. The shoot's actually not all that bad, I'm impressed actually." 

I heard Mikasa snort, "You mean the short ass can actually be fair? and why impressed? Levi is supposed to the model isn't he?" 

"I don't know," I shrugged taking a drag of smoke, forgetting that Mikasa couldn't see that. "I'm impressed. I didn't think he could be so... professional, I guess. I thought he would just bullshit his way through the shoot and just stand there scowling at the camera." 

I laughed when I heard Mikasa stifle a giggle and then I heard more rustling on the phone and her talking to someone else. I felt bad, calling Mikasa while she was working so I decided I should probably just hang up with her before I got her in any real trouble. 

"Hey, Mika. I gotta go, my breaks almost over. I'll see you at home later and I'll call dad at Lunch." 

"Okay, I love you Eren. Just be careful, and don't let that little leprechaun push you around." 

I smiled at her words even though Mikasa couldn't see it, I knew she probably could tell I was smiling. She worries too much. 

"Love you too, bye." I said before hanging up. 

I thumbed through my response from Armin while I was on the phone with Mikasa and tapped out a quickly reply as I stomped out the last of my cigarette. I was still staring down at my phone screen when I pushed off the wall and started for the back door when it opened before I could reach it and had I been looking up at the time, I probably could have avoided being hit in the nose with it, but I didn't. 

I heard a crack but the dull pain shooting from my forehead to the bridge of my nose was the least of my worries. I had somehow without my knowing, fallen to the pavement and scraped my palm up just a bit and looked up to see Jean scowling at me. That fucker. 

"Che, so here you are Jaeger. Get your ass back in here, Levi needs you." Jean turned to start walking away and I gaped at him. 

"You just hit me with a fucking metal door, you Jack Ass! Or did you not notice because you're a fucking moron!?" 

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe a smashed in face is exactly the thing you need? Could magically turn you pretty or somethin'." he said with a sneer barely sparing me a glance as he walked back into the studio. 

I quietly seethed as I rubbed the bridge of my nose and stumbled to my feet. That neighing mother fucker did that on purpose, even though it was partially my own fault when I wasn't paying attention. I rubbed at my eye gently feeling like I might have gotten some dirt in my contact, it was one of the most uncomfortable feelings ever to feel like you had something stuck in your contact. 

As I blindly made my way for the door, I heard a crunch under my shoe and I stopped mid-step. Now that I thought about it, I stopped rubbing my eye and noticed that I wasn't wearing my glasses. When had I taken them off? The flash back to Jean hitting me in the face came back to me and I groaned hoping that the thing that went 'crunch' underneath my shoe wasn't what I thought it was. 

I slowly and carefully lifted my right foot from the ground and looked down at the mess of smashed and shattered glass mixed with broken and mangled black plastic and my stomach sank and I felt like all the blood drained from my body in a rush. I had stepped on and broken my fucking glasses... Fuck!

I didn't have time to worry about my broken glasses, and as much as I wanted to run home and grab a spare I knew I couldn't. Forced to forget about my broken glasses, I yanked the door to the studio open and hurried back to the spot where I had left Levi. From a distance, I could see him standing from his seat and scowling up at a very upset looking Mike. 

Levi had his arms crossed in front of him and he was still wearing the sunglasses I had given to him earlier. I picked up the pace and jogged over to the both of them, barely noticing Petra standing behind Mike when I arrived breathing a little more harshly than I cared to know. 

"There you fucking are." Levi growled. "Where the fuck have you-" he trailed off when he turned to look at me and I did my best to avoid looking at him directly and I focused on the other workers around us who were all buzzing about looking worried. 

"What happened to your glasses?" Levi eventually asked. 

I glared at Jean who wasn't standing too far off from us, he was chatting up some girls from the make up and beauty department and I rolled my eyes before mumbling, 

"A horse broke them." not totally a lie. 

I could feel Levi giving me a strange look before he shook his head and waved me off. Well, at least I avoided that awkward situation. 

"Whatever, look. Mike and Petra just told me that one of the fucking models that's supposed to do the next shoot with me pulled out last minute and now we have no male model to do the fucking shoot with." 

"D-Don't we have a stand in?" I asked, glancing at Petra and Mike who were staring at me for some reason. 

Petra finally spoke, "Um, the stand in model is actually stuck in a traffic jam and probably won't be here for another hour..." she trailed off. 

Levi huffed and turned to take his seat, crossing his legs and pulling out another cigarette to smoke. He was beyond pissed and I knew that never meant anything good, especially for me since I had to deal with him the rest of the day while Petra and Mike could just wash their hands of him as soon as he left the studio. I sighed and glanced around the studio for a moment before I turned to Petra and Mike who were still staring at me for some reason that I didn't care to find out about right now. 

"Um, this might seem kind of strange but... couldn't we just get someone currently in the studio to do the shoot with Levi for now? Anyone could do it right?" I suggested, desperation seeping into my tone. 

"Actually..." Petra started, glancing up at Mike and smiling. "I think that's not a bad idea. Give us a minute, Eren. I need to discuss something with Mike for a minute." 

I nodded and quickly went back to where Levi was sitting, smoking his cigarette and quietly seething. I could see his anger in the tenseness of his shoulders and I took a sharp, deep breath before I approached him. 

"Petra and Mike said they're going to try and work something out. I'll be back, gotta use the wash room." I said quickly before I hurried off toward the back. 

There was a small wash room near the changing rooms and I quickly slipped inside locking the door behind me. I rushed to the mirror and pushed my eyelids open to check my contact. Now that I had some time to myself, I could fucking wash out my contact. Whatever the fuck I had in my contact that was bothering me, I was determined to wash it out. I plucked out the soft lens and ran the cold water in the faucet. 

I carefully and slowly rinsed out my contact making sure I didn't rub too roughly and rip it, because there was nothing more painful than wearing a ripped contact. I'd learned that the hard way. I let out a small sighed as I made sure to thoroughly rinse out the lens, but I was suddenly startled when I heard firm knocks against the door. Stupidly, when I jumped at the sound I let my contact lens slip off the tip of my finger and I watched in horror as the dark green lens washed down the drain, never to be salvaged. 

I stood there slack jawed as I stared at the running water draining in the sink and I felt my body run cold. Fuck! Shit! This is so fucking bad! I just let my fucking contact lens wash down the fucking drain! I couldn't go back out like this, there was no fucking way! I started having a mini-panic attack as I tried to figure out a way to make a run for it because there was no way in FUCK I was going to be able to hide my eye color from everyone. My eyes stuck out like a fucking sore thumb and I knew Levi would find out and-

"Oi, Brat. You taking a shit in there or what? Petra and Mike are fucking looking for you, hurry up and get out here, shit stain." 

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I am so fucked and not in the good way. Levi was right outside the door and Petra and Mike were looking for me? Are you fucking kidding me? It's like life was out to get me today. I knew I should have just called in sick today. I can't believe this was fucking happening to me. I stared at myself in the mirror. I probably wouldn't have been having such a panic attack if it wasn't my right contact that had gotten washed down the drain just now, but it was and that meant that my gold colored eye was completely exposed to the world. 

I felt a pang of anxiety as I tried to calm myself down by taking long, deep breaths. I couldn't run away from this, I wasn't a coward. I always faced my problems head on and this time would be no different. I would just have to soldier through this until I could get home and put on my spare contacts. Right. You can do this, Eren. 

I swallowed thickly before I plucked out my other contact and threw it in the trash. There would be no point in wearing only one contact around like an idiot. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and focused on my mismatched eyes. Teal and Gold stared right back at me and I let out a shaky breath before I looked away and reached for the door knob hesitantly. All the while, I could tell Levi was trying not to break the door down by now. 

"Eren, I swear to god if you don't get your ass out here right now..." he warned from the other side of the door. 

I took one last deep breath in before I yanked the door open and met face to face with a very pissed off looking Levi as he leaned against the door frame scowling up at me. That is, until he saw that I wasn't wearing my contacts and I saw the way his face immediately smoothed out the creases from his scowling and his eyes widened slightly which was really a sight I would have appreciated if it weren't for the fact that the reason for that look in his eyes was because of him finding out about my Heterochromia. 

We stared at each other for a few seconds and I fidgeted under his intense gaze as his lips slightly parted to speak but I cut him short before he could say anything by shuffling past him (despite his height, he was still able to block the door way) before I sprinted off to find Petra and Mike not caring about the strange looks I was receiving on the way toward them. 

Behind me, I was more than sure that Levi was calling for me while following after me but I couldn't be bothered with him right now. I reached Petra and Mike who were still standing where I had left them last, by the set illuminated by the bright lights and I waved Petra down. Her big, honey brown eyes settled on me and I could see her already wide eyes grow in size as I approached her and Mike. 

"Sorry, Levi said you wanted to see me?" I said sounding slightly out of breath. 

Petra looked a bit at a loss for words for a moment or two while Mike eyed me curiously with an eyebrow raised and I shifted awkwardly from foot to foot as I waited to hear what they had to say. I didn't like having to feel like I was being observed under a microscope, but I couldn't just tell them to spit it out the way Levi could so I had to patiently wait to see what they had to say. Finally, Petra seemed to snap out of whatever shit she was in and she smiled warmly at me. 

"Eren, your eyes." she said, smile growing wider by the second. 

"Ah, yes. I know, they're really weird. Sorry." I said ducking my head down shyly. 

"No!" Petra squeaked. "They're not weird at all! They're beautiful! Gorgeous even! Were you hiding them from us all this time?" she asked with a little laugh at the end of her sentence. 

"Oh, um. Well, yes. I'm sorry." I don't know why my stupid mouth wouldn't stop apologizing for something I knew I couldn't control. If Petra or Mike were mad, they sure as hell weren't acting like it. 

"Eren." Mike addressed me next, causing my head to shoot up and stare at the taller man. "We were hoping you could model for us." he said it so casually, so effortlessly that I almost didn't register what he said at all. 

"...What?" I asked dumbly, looking between the two of them wide-eyed. 

"You heard him, Brat. He wants you to model with me for this shoot." Levi cut in. "And you're going to say yes." 

"Huh!?" I squawked. 

"Either you agree to model, or I fire you. Which is it going to be?" that was his oh, so logical reasoning. 

"Levi, you can't-" 

"I can and I will, Eren. Now you have some explaining to do but that can wait until later. Right now, this shoot needs to get done and if you're being asked to model then I suggest you shut your mouth and do as your asked." he bit back, taking a step closer to me. Those intense silver and blue eyes narrowing on mine and I forced myself to avoid his gaze. 

"...okay..." I reluctantly agreed, staring down at my boots. 

I couldn't believe he was actually threatening me with my job. I wasn't okay with this modeling thing at all. I could barely stand being without my glasses and suddenly, I'm without the cover of either my contacts or my glasses and I'm being forced to model for a fucking fashion magazine. Just what the hell were Petra and Mike thinking? 

"You're perfect for this shoot, Eren!" Petra piped up after a moment of silence. She bounded up to my side, beaming from ear to ear. "Your skin tone and height are just perfect for the concept we were going for! You have a very exotic look about you and it'll contrast perfectly with Levi's image!" 

Then she was ushering me toward the dressing rooms to get prepped and dressed for the shoot. There was no saving me now, I was going to have to go through with this and there was no turning back. I internally sobbed as I was led away by Petra.

\- ◆ -

"Eren!?" Sasha exclaimed, her hands flying up to cover her gaping mouth as I walked out of one of the back dressing rooms.

Then, as if on queue. Reiner, Bert, Connie and Jean (when the fuck had he gotten there?) turned around to see what all the fuss was about. I stiffened under their gazes and swallowed. I had just come out from having my make up and hair done for the stupid fucking photo shoot that I was going to model in with Levi of all fucking people and I still felt extremely uncomfortable about all of this. 

I stood there, letting the five of them scrutinize me from head to two. I wasn't sure what they're reaction to my new look was going to be, especially considering the stylists and make up artists had combed and slicked my hair back in a similar way to Levi's so I couldn't hide my eyes behind my long bangs, even if I wanted to. 

I was [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?id=110069325) a thin, black turtle neck similar to the one Levi was wearing earlier only this one was probably three times tighter. I felt like I was wearing spandex to be honest, but chose not to voice that since apparently what I'm currently wearing is 'Armani' and I know well enough never to insult Armani. At least the grey, loose fitted pants I was wearing were normal and comfortable enough so felt just the slightest bit better about that. The pants were tucked into a pair of black, lace up combat boots

Reiner was the first one to speak when finished checking me out, which I must admit, I wouldn't have minded if I wasn't still suffering from anxiety at the moment. 

"Damn," he said with a crooked smirk. "and I thought you were cute before."

I felt my face heating up at his comment and I tried to avoid the hungry way he was looking at me up and down. Reiner thought I was cute, holy shit. Please tell me that meant I had some kind of a shot with him because I would totally date him if he asked me. Oh my god, shut up Eren. This is not the time or place to start letting your gay little heart go all bonkers on you. 

"Eren! You look hot!" Sasha said running up to me. She seemed more interested in the clothes than me, which I was silently grateful for. 

"Yeah, man. Where you been hiding all that?" Connie was the next one to speak as he stared at me disbelievingly. 

Bert was quiet, but his expression said it all really. His mouth was slightly hanging open and he was nodding along with what everyone else said. Then, and I wish I hadn't, I noticed Jean nibbling at the corner of his lips like he had done earlier when he was watching Levi's photo shoot taking place. The look make me shudder because, ew, gross. Horse face better not be getting any weird ideas. 

"Seriously, Eren. What the hell man? You work out or something?" Connie distracted me, thank fucking god. 

"Um, not recently but in the summer I swim a lot. I used to be on my high school's swim team." I said rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. I had to mind my hair because I did not want to sit in a chair for another hour while the stylists fixed my hair. 

"And it shows, _damn._ " Reiner repeated as he took a step closer to me, a devilish look on his face. "I never learned how to swim, think you could teach me?" he purred. 

My already flushed face felt like it was on fire at Reiner's advances and I felt myself breaking into a grin before long. My nerves momentarily forgotten as Reiner tried horribly at flirting with me. I appreciated it for helping me get my mind off the fact that I still had to pose with Levi, my boss from hell. 

"Eren." a deep, all too familiar voice called from behind me. 

I slowly turned myself around to see Levi standing there in a completely different outfit than the one he was wearing in the first half of the photo shoot. He was [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=135333487) a dark navy blue suit with a crisp white shirt underneath, the top buttons wide open showing off his ivory skin and thick, muscular neck. The sleeves to his shirt and blazer were rolled up a bit giving him a very casual look despite the not so professional boots he was wearing. 

The stylists had obviously styled his hair haphazardly to give him a very messy, wild look and paired with dark eyeliner they applied to his stunning eyes and the smokey eye shadow smudged in the corners he looked dark and dangerous and utterly sexy. Okay, stop that train of thought right there, Eren. We are not about to start thinking of your boss in that kind of light. It's bad enough you see him making out with Jean in the office, you don't need to make things even more awkward. 

Levi approached me slowly, his boots clicking against the tiled floor of the studio. Something told me those boots had a heel because he was _not_ that tall before. He was eye to eye with my nose now when before he fell just below my chin. In any other situation, I would have laughed because he had to wear a heel but right now I was stunned into silence by his intense gaze on mine. 

Striking Silver and Blue clashed with Warm Gold and Vibrant Teal as we stared at each other for a moment, then I felt his hand grip my bicep like I had done to Reiner earlier and he was dragging me away from my friends who said nothing in fear of going against someone like Levi. Sasha beamed and mouthed 'Good Luck' to me while Connie shot me two thumbs up, his grin as wide as Sasha's. Reiner was half smirking, half scowling and I couldn't tell what he was thinking but then he was walking away. Bert was smiling awkwardly and he sent me a little wave but when my eyes met Jean's I thought I saw hell. 

He had the worst scowl I'd ever seen on his face as he watched Levi drag me away and for some reason I couldn't help but feel a certain pang of satisfaction at that look on his face. It was a welcomed change from that annoying, smug look he always walked around the office with and knowing that he was glaring so intensely at me made me want to smile and blow him a kiss because suck on that Kirstein. Karma is a bitch. 

"Eren! Levi!" Petra caught my attention as she jogged up to the two of us. Levi was still firmly gripping my arm. "You both look fantastic! Okay, so here's how it's going to go down. Eren, you can take a seat over there and just wait. Mike wants to get a few singles of Levi against the white back drop before we change the set again, then once the solos are done we'll quickly change to our new back drop and have Eren and the female model come and join Levi so we can take the group shot." she explained. 

I nodded in understanding and couldn't help but sort of smile at Petra because she was really sweet and I was sure that I probably looked like a dog being dragged to the vet clinic to get neutered. She hopped off on her merry little way and Levi and I were left alone, in silence. With him _still_ gripping my arm. Like, hard... 

I halfheartedly tried to pull my arm away from his grasp and he glanced up at me before realizing he was still holding onto me. When he eventually let go, I shuffled away from him awkwardly and walked back to the fold up chairs where some of my stuff still was. I sat in silence as Mike called Levi up to the set and started directing him on where he needed to stand what he wanted him to do exactly and Levi complied wordlessly. 

Just like before, Levi stunned me as he went back into the professional state of mind, hooding his eyes and giving the camera sultry looks as he posed the way Mike asked of him and tilted and pivoted his body for a specific position. Our eyes met a little too often for my liking, and halfway through the solo shoots I had to focus on something else so I could stop having a mini-heart attack every time I saw Silver and Blue. This was going to be the only color shoot we did before we went back to the black and whites and the solo shots were over pretty quickly. Petra called me over to the monitors where Mike and Levi were already standing, reviewing the pictures he had just shot. 

They were all very stunning and the four of us discussed our opinions on which ones we thought were the best out of all of them, but in the end as Editor-in-Chief, Levi's word was law and he picked out his favorite [photo](http://38.media.tumblr.com/0d0e8bda003611c0d4b01142ded06aa2/tumblr_mxt7wsByc81s8jp4zo1_500.jpg) and that was the end of that. We moved on to the last portion of the shoot. They brought in the female model who was a very attractive young woman wearing a simple black strapless, bareback dress with a sweetheart neckline. Her dark hair was styled in a neat bun and she immediately took her place on the set where Levi was having his make up touched up. I hesitantly stepped up to the set as well and the stylists started touching up my make up as well. I wasn't wearing much, for some reason. Just some reddish brown eye shadow smeared around the corners and outer lids of my eyes and some faint blush on my cheek bones. 

Once they fixed all the minor details, Mike joined us on the set and started positioning us the way he wanted. Levi stood in the center, naturally, while the female model stood off to his right with her body tilted slightly so that her exposed back was showing toward the camera but her face and lips were pressed lightly to Levi's ear and cheek like she was telling him something intimate and secret. Levi had his hand wrapped around her waist comfortably and I wondered how he could just let his hand fall around a stranger's waist so casually, when I remembered, oh yeah, he's a total man whore and sleeps with complete strangers all the time. Right.

Then Mike came up to me and instructed me simply. I was to be facing the opposite direction the female model had taken, meaning I was going to be facing the camera and basically everyone else in the studio, just like Levi. Mike repeated how the scene had to be sexy, intimate but not downright raunchy. So sexy but classy, I guess. He told me I would have to get really physically close to Levi, to the point where there was basically no personal space left and I dreaded the thought.

But,I sucked it up and went to get into position and I noted that Petra had put on some music again.[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am46iltuwIk) I stood close to Levi's left side, nearly pressing myself up against him as I positioned my body so that it was tilting away from him slightly as if I were going to walk away. I had to convince myself that this Levi wasn't my Satanic, slave-driver boss that I hated to the core. No, I had to tell myself that this man was just a stranger. Someone I didn't know but was strangely attracted to. A very sexy, handsome man who knew how to handle himself and like a switch had been flipped I suddenly had no problems invading Levi's personal space.

The rest of the room didn't matter as I continued to get lost in my thoughts, not even minding the hot, bright lights beating down on us as I did actually press myself closer to his side. I felt his left arm snake around my waist possessively as I heard the first snap of Mike's camera go off once, twice and then it was nonstop. I let my eyelids droop slightly hooding my eyes as I leaned against Levi, one of my hands pressed up against his chest and shoulder as his hand around my waist slipped further down to my thigh. All the while, the sound of Mike's camera snapping nonstop was the only noise I could hear besides the faint lyrics of the song being played in the background. It was strange, being in this situation with Levi but I found I didn't entirely hate the way his hand lingered on my thigh before it ran back up to my waist and tickled my side through the thin fabric of the turtle neck. 

I could feel his slender fingers feeling up my rib cage before it glided back down toward my waist again, this time lingering over my hip bones through the material of my loose pants. I did end up pressing my lips against the shell of his ear like the female model was doing with a slight smirk and if I didn't know any better, I would have thought he even shuddered and tilted his head toward me a bit as if leaning into my touch as my other hand wrapped around his waist behind him. And then, the snapping of Mike's camera stopped and his voice boomed snapping me out of my daze. 

"Alright, that was perfect! Let's move on to the last set before we move back to the Survey Corp building to finish the black and whites." 

I immediately let my hand that was snaked around Levi's wait drop to my side and my other hand that was pressed against his suit soon followed until it was only Levi's arm still wrapped around me that was linking us together. The photo shoot had ended a lot quicker than I had expected, but Petra was springing up to the both of us soon enough and Levi's hand finally fell away causing my frantic heart to calm after he was no longer touching me. 

"Eren, you were great! If I didn't know any better, I would think you've modeled before!" she said slapping me playfully on the shoulder. 

"Um, Thank you." I said shyly but sincerely. "But this really is my first time ever doing something like this. I just tried my best." well, it was the truth. 

"But you did well for your first time, actually there's one last set I think we could use you for. Mike and I discussed it earlier but, it's up to Levi." the smaller woman turned to Levi with expectant eyes. 

He stared at her blankly for a moment, "You want Eren to be in the last set too?" 

"Mhm! In fact, we think it'll really spice up the last set instead of just having you and the female model." 

"Whatever. But I don't think the kid will be comfortable knowing there's going to be a half naked woman taking the pictures with him." he mused out loud. 

"Well, that's just it. We want Eren to take his shirt of." Petra chirped happily and I felt my breath hitch in my throat earning her worried attention. 

"You _what_?" I managed as quietly as I could. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Eren. That must be a really hard thing to ask of you considering you're not actually a professional model, but Mike and I think it'll really shake things up if you did the last set with Levi and the female model. Don't worry, you won't have to do anything or even stand up! The last set is going to have Levi sitting a large chair with the female model stretched out half naked behind him, but we were thinking about adding you in sitting on the floor next to the chair and just sort of leaning your head against Levi's lap." Petra elaborated. 

I swallowed thickly and turned to Levi for help which was a terrible decision because he was glaring at me expectantly. I didn't even need to hear him repeat his earlier threat that if I refused I was basically fired, I could see it in his eyes. I slowly turned back to Petra and smiled weakly, 

"I-If you think it'll be okay." 

Petra beamed, " Of course it will! Mike's a master at these things! He can make anything look good!" she quipped. 

I deflated only slightly when she and Levi left the set to go over more details with Mike and the female model and the stylists came up to me and asked me to remove my shirt, which I did but very reluctantly. Once the thin material was off, I found myself missing it immediately as I felt dozens of eyes on my exposed skin. I wrapped an arm around my waist in vain knowing that there was really no covering up at this point and I walked over to Petra and Levi who were still discussing the layout of the next shoot. 

"U-Um, is this okay?" I asked, never sounding more unsure of myself in my entire life. God, this was so unlike me. I'm Eren Jaeger for christ's sake. Confidence is one of my best traits. So why did I suddenly feel so self-conscious about my body? 

Petra blinked at me a few times, her mouth forming a small 'o' as she eyed me up and down and I cleared my throat softly hopefully not showing my discomfort with this situation. Levi on the other hand, stared at me with a blank expression as usual. His eyes were darting over every inch of my naked torso but I couldn't tell what he was thinking behind that emotionless mask of his. It unsettled me more than everyone else's openly interested looks and side glances. Then I heard Reiner yelling from somewhere, 

"Damn, if being sexy was a crime, you'd be guilty as charged!"

"Is your body from McDonald's? Cause I'm lovin' it!" Shasha chimed in.

There were a few wolf whistles and cat calls but most of all the others in the studio laughed and I couldn't help but smile because Reiner and Sasha had officially gotten rid of my nerves once again. If I didn't want to date Reiner enough before, I definitely wanted to run up and kiss him mad. The big idiot. 

Then Connie piped up to my surprise, "I hope there's a fire truck nearby, cause you're smokin'!" I saw him turn to Sasha, "Sorry, Sasha but I think I'm gay for Eren now." 

"That's okay, honey bun. I'm gay for Eren too!" 

I tried not to laugh, I really did but Sasha and Connie's lame pick up lines just did me in and my shoulders were shaking with the laughter I was so desperately trying to hold in as my lips quivered and threatened to give into to a big smile. Petra was giggling so I guess it didn't really matter, I let the hand that was covering my mouth fall away and I was probably grinning like an idiot. Mike came up to us finally and smirked. 

"Okay, we got the model in her new outfit. Levi, the chair is waiting for you. I need you to sit in it with your legs crossed, we're going to 'Authoritative' and 'In-Charge'. Eren and Fabia will join you." 

My nerves were back but I tried to shake them off as I remembered how hard my friends were trying to support me right now. I was thankful I wasn't completely alone here at the shoot as the stylists came back for the third time and tried fixing my hair a little more. A little more blush was applied to my cheeks bones and then Petra was ushering me back toward the set where Levi was already [sitting](http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODU3WDYwMA==/z/~84AAMXQrhdTQ8OG/%24_35.JPG) in the large chair with the half naked female body sprawled out behind him.

Mike got into position a few feet in front of the chair where Levi was sitting and Petra steered me until I was right by Levi's side. Okay, I could do this. It's just an innocent little head tilt on his lap. I don't have to fucking straddle the guy or even let him touch me. I slowly sank to my knees next to where Levi's legs were crossed, his dark blue trousers raising slightly to reveal a bit of his pale skin. I turned my body and awkwardly leaned forward onto Levi's thigh, not sure how I should lean on him exactly or what. 

"Just relax, Eren." I heard Mike coach me quietly from behind the camera as he started snapping a few photos. 

I took a quick deep breath before I closed my eyes momentarily and tried to relax into no particular position. I knew that if I thought about how I should lean on Levi too much I wouldn't be able to relax so I tried to repeat the course of action I took in earlier's shoot. Imagine Levi's not my horrible boss, he's... he's... Erwin Smith. Sitting in his office on his big ass leather chair with a stack of paper work in his hands as he flipped through them. 

I let my eyes open slightly, hooding them again as I got lost in my fantasy. Yes, this was Erwin's thigh I was leaning against. I [brought](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--xAZ2_61VDE/UHvwoYGwJEI/AAAAAAAADgY/wNWUoDmQ5XA/s1600/GQ+Style+Korea+FW_David+Armstrong-1.jpg) my right arm up to rest on Erwin's leg, at first letting it hang there as I rested the side of my head against his thigh but eventually letting the arm cradle my head as I stared at nothing in particular. I could faintly here the sound of Mike's camera shuttering in the background but I was too lost in my fantasy to care. 

Then Erwin would gently, oh so gently, thread one of his large, warm hands through my hair and stroke it lovingly. I let the smallest sigh escape my lips as I suck into Erwin's warmth further letting my shoulders eventually slump until I was nothing more than a limp body over Erwin Smith's lap. Then, just when I felt those fingers start to dance down the nape of neck creeping slowly down my spine, the sound of Mike's voice saying "Good Work!" as he straightened up from his position had me shoved back into reality. 

Oh shit. I had actually forgotten where I was for a few minutes. Fuck. This wasn't the privacy of Erwin Smith's office, and the hand that was stroking my hair gently and lovingly wasn't Erwin's and the slender fingers I felt making their way down my back a moment ago weren't Erwin Smiths but Levi fucking Ackerman's. Oh god. 

I quickly straightened up from my position and didn't need to wait for Mike to tell me we were done before I was climbing to my feet and hurrying to find a shirt to put on and hopefully forget all about the fact that I was just in quite the intimate position with my boss of all people. My heart was racing a mile a minute and rushed back into the dressing rooms where I had left my old clothes to change into the new ones. I couldn't remember if Sasha and Reiner tried to talk to me on my way to the changing rooms, but I didn't care. I had just been touched by my boss in a very sensual way more than once but twice and I wanted more than anything to just get this day over with and go home.

\- ◆ -

The day felt like it dragged on forever. After the shoot at the Studio was officially over, Levi and I had to make our way back to Survey Corp Publications so Mike and his crew could get the last shots of Levi 'working' in his office to close the shoot and get the photos to the editors in the Photo Editing department by the end of the day.

Thankfully, I didn't need to be involved in anymore photo shoots with Levi and I blissfully went about my day taking calls and writing down messages for Levi while running around the building picking up and dropping off papers and memos. Just another day at Recon Magazine. 

When it was time for me to punch out, I was simply exhausted. I wasn't sure if my exhaustion was more mental than physical but at this point it felt like everything all at once. Physical, Mental, Emotional. I just wanted to get home as quickly as possible and throw off all my clothes, snuggle under my blankets and never wake up until the world ends. Okay, so maybe not until the world ends but at least until noon would be great. 

I didn't bother to tell Levi was leaving, he seemed too busy burying his nose in the mock up book to care. After I had cleared my desk of any paperwork or mess, I grabbed my parka and threw it on along with my beanie (I had already messed up all the hard work the stylists put into taming my hair earlier so it didn't matter if I threw on a hat) and started for the elevators when Levi's stern voice stopped me from going any further. 

"Eren." 

I reluctantly stopped walking and turned back to see him glaring up at me from behind his desk, pen in hand with the mock up book still wide open as he flipped through it. He motioned for one of the fancy chairs in front of his desk and I groaned quietly, 

"Sit." was all he said before returning his attention back to his work. 

I dragged my feet as I walked all the way back into Levi's office, plopping down in the chair with about as much grace as an elephant and I sighed. To think I was so close to getting away too. I sat silently in Levi's office waiting for him to say something, anything so I could hurry up and answer his questions and get my ass home before the temperature dropped even lower. 

"I'm not going to ask you anything while we're in the office. I'll ask you in the car, I'm giving you a ride home." He said casually, like it was no big deal. 

"Excuse me?" I spluttered. 

"I said I'm giving you a ride home, and don't even think about saying no. It's not optional." 

"But- are you serious right now?"

"Yes." 

And so. That was how I ended up waiting another hour until Levi was done going over the mock up for the magazine, and how I followed after him like an obedient puppy after he locked up his office and caught an Elevator for us and how I slid into the back seat of his fancy town car that his Chauffeur was driving. 

I absently watched as we passed by several sky scrapers and office buildings, people were still flooding the streets at this late hour but of course that was nothing new. It's New York City for crying out loud. The City that never sleeps. The first few minutes of the car were silent as the multiple different city lights flashed by us in a flurry of blurred colors, until Levi finally turned and looked at me. His eyes searching mine, for what I don't know. 

"Why didn't you tell me about your eyes when I asked you how you knew what I was going through?" his voice was stern but not overly demanding or even arrogant. It was soft and full of genuine interest or curiosity or both. 

"Because," I started hesitantly. Did I really want to get into my whole 'My mom died so I promised I'd never let anyone see my real eyes' thing with my boss of all people? "Because my eyes are something I don't want to show to just anyone and it's just easier if I lied about it. Covered them up with plain contacts to hide them. I never thought I would-" 

"Meet someone else who has the same eyes as you? Eren, give me a fucking break here. You think I don't feel the same about my eyes? Maybe it's because you're still a damn brat and you don't know the cruelties of this world yet but those eyes can take you places. You have power with those eyes, powers that can get you anything you want and more." 

"But I don't need to use my eyes to get my way, I'm perfectly fine working hard for what I want. That's just the kind of person I am." I could hear my own voice raising in volume and I had to remind myself that this was my boss I was talking to. Even if he did piss me off to no freakin' end. 

Levi was silent for awhile, "Then I guess that's the difference between you and I, huh?" he said it quietly, like it was meant for only him to hear but I had clearly caught it. 

We drove in silence the rest of the way, and I was perfectly fine with that. I knew that talking with Levi would only end up with me getting upset because he was a master at pushing my buttons and pissing me off and the last thing I needed was to punch my boss out and get fired for it the next day. Especially with Christmas and Thanksgiving right around the corner now. We would be off from work starting tomorrow, Thanksgiving day. I wouldn't have to see Levi for four whole days and I was looking forward to spending time with Mikasa and my dad. (and Maybe even Armin. We'd gotten kind of close lately.)

I told the driver where to turn once my block came into view and maybe it was just my imagination playing tricks on me but I thought I saw Levi stiffen up when I told the driver to stop because my house was right up ahead and I didn't want Mikasa or My dad getting any weird ideas if they saw me coming out of Levi's fancy town car. I made a move for the door but was stopped when Levi reached out for me and grabbed my hand, startling me a bit. His hands were freezing cold. 

"Hold on," he said before reaching into the deep pockets of his black trench coat. He pulled out what looked like a black case and he held it out for me to take. I eyed the case dubiously, reading the crest on the front that read "VERSACE" and I might have gasped a little bit too loudly for my liking. 

"W-What is that?"

"Tch. If you take it and open it, you'll know, shit face."

I hesitantly took the case and snapped it open, eyes going wide when I saw the very stylish black rimmed glasses sitting prettily in the velvet interior. They were a new pair of glasses. Confused and surprised, I glanced up to see Levi staring (shyly?) down at his shiny shoes as he grumbled quietly, I had to strain my ears to catch what he said. 

"I figured since Jean broke your glasses, the least I could do was replace them." well that wasn't what I expected at all. I was speechless. "And don't even think about trading them in for a different pair. I'll know the difference if I don't see you wearing those." 

I barked out a laugh, startling Levi as he stared at me like if I just grew a second head. I laughed until my stomach hurt and then I doubled over holding my gut as I panted for air, giggling every other breath before I straightened up again and looked at Levi smiling. 

"I didn't think you'd catch the 'horse' reference, oh my god." 

Levi chuckled, or it sounded like a chuckle. It could have been a cough too, I wasn't exactly sure but I would just assume that it was a chuckle for now. 

"It's not like it's that hard to miss. Is there anyone else called 'Horse face' in the office that we know of?" 

"No, I guess not." I sighed. "But thanks, for the glasses. I'll wear them, I promise." 

"You better. And this might not be my place to say but, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop wearing those shitty contacts too."

"W-Why?" 

"Because, I think it's... nice to finally have someone who can relate to the same shit I'm going through. I don't have to feel like such a fucking display now, and you shouldn't have to feel that way either." 

I fell silent at that. I wasn't sure if I was ready to just throw away all my contacts just because Levi told me something like that. I mean, sure it was nice to know that there was someone else out there like me and he just so happened to be my boss but, my contacts were still somewhat of a safe haven for me and I wasn't sure if I was ready to give that up just yet. 

"... I'll think about it. Thanks for the ride, I'll see you at work next week Levi." 

I hurried out of his car, stuffing the case he'd given me into my jacket pocket as I shut the door to his car and hurried toward the front stoop of my house. I didn't look back as Levi's car stayed parked in it's spot on the street until I had my door unlocked, I felt like a daughter being watched by her dad to make sure she made it inside the house okay. When I finally got inside my place, I quickly hung up my jacket and sneaked a peek outside the front window to see if Levi's car was gone yet. It was still there. Seriously? 

I groaned and plopped myself down on the sofa by the window, feeling all the events from today suddenly catch up with me as the last of my energy left my body in a rush. I heard someone come into the living room but I was too tired to even open my eyes to see who it was. Luckily I didn't have to try and guess. 

"You're home? Welcome back, son. You look tired." my dad said, concern lacing his deep voice. 

"Long day. I don't want to talk about it." I grumbled. 

"That's alright. I'm just glad you're home safe." Gosh, my dad was such a dad but how could I not love him for worrying about me? "Eren... are you wearing make up?" 

I turned over on the couch burying my face in the sofa cushions as I groaned loudly. I did not have the energy for this. First thing I was going to do with the leftover money from my paycheck; Calling up Armin and asking him to take me shopping for some new clothes.

**A/N:** Awesome art work was done by [thenewinshayneity](http://thenewinshayneity.tumblr.com/post/97969241667/eren-jaeger-repost-haute-couture-love-by), [shinageha](http://shinageha.tumblr.com/post/98044061298) and [paulinkaaxx](http://paulinkaaxx.tumblr.com/post/98284932727/spent-the-remainder-of-my-lunch-doodling-really)!! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi, that's not how you show people you like them. 
> 
> There's A LOT happening in this chapter but well, I hope it's interesting at least. I tried to make it funny and sarcastic since I don't think there's enough sassy!Eren around here. 
> 
> (P.S. Petra's totally a kpop fan.)


	6. Dress me, I'm your Mannequin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _"You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it."_ — **Edith Head**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Armin go shopping~ 
> 
> I had awful writers block for this chapter so it's super short and I'm not very happy with it, but oh well, it's an update! I'm more excited for the next chapter tbh.

_"Thomas seriously asked you that?"_ Armin's surprised voice sounded on the other end of the receiver. 

"Yeah, it was the most ridiculous thing ever. The morning After Levi gave me a ride home and dropped me off, Thomas comes up to me and he's like 'Eren, are you dating that guy? I thought you hated guys like that?' like seriously man? It wasn't like Levi and I were making out in the back seat." I snorted rolling my eyes as I stretched out on the old sofa in our living room. 

_"So what did you tell him?"_

"I told him to go home, obviously. It's none of his business if I am seeing someone new or not. Thomas dumped _me_ yet he's acting like we're still a thing." I huffed. 

_"Sounds complicated. It was probably the best thing for you to do though. I mean, it's not like you actually feel anything romantic toward Levi."_

"As if! You wanna know the one word that sums up my feelings toward Levi Ackerman?" There as pause as Armin waited for my response. "Contempt. That's what I feel toward Levi fucking Ackerman." I scoffed. 

Armin's cute little laugh on the other end of the call made me smile just bit, he was too adorable. Armin and I had become really good friends since I first started working at Survey Corp Publications, hell he even spent Thanksgiving with us and Mikasa and Dad seemed to like him enough. We talked to each other everyday like a couple of middle school girls, it was cheesy but nice. 

_"What about your feelings toward **Erwin**?"_ Armin asked teasingly and I felt my ears going hot. 

"Oh god, Armin. Shut up about that already, it was _ONE TIME!_ One wet dream and you'll never let me live it down!" I laughed into the phone, trying to hide my embarrassed face in the sofa cushions. "But," I continued hesitantly, nibbling my lower lip slightly. "Can you really blame me for having thoughts like that? Erwin is kind of hot..." 

Armin was now laughing loudly and I patiently waited for him to catch his breath after his case of the giggles. 

_"No, I can't really blame you I guess. I'll admit that when I first started working for him, I also kind of had a small crush on him."_ Armin admitted. 

"Yeah? Did you ever get anywhere with the 'Commander'?" I asked in a suggestive tone.

_"Not really, no. The man practically lives in his Office, Eren. He only ever leaves to go home and sleep but otherwise he pretty much spends more than half of his time at that desk taking calls, signing paperwork, approving or reviewing mock up of the various Magazines he has to manage, I don't think I've ever heard Erwin mention anything about having a lover or a partner in the past two years I've worked for him."_

I mulled that new information over in my head for a minute, Erwin sounded like a pretty busy guy. Levi was also pretty busy but even he made time for pleasure, which was practically all the time. What was Erwin's excuse? Surely, someone as successful, handsome and charming as him would have been married or something by now. 

_"Eren? You still there? What were calling to ask me about?"_ Armin's voice snapped me out of my reverie as I suddenly remembered why I had called him in the first place. 

"Oh, yeah! So, this might sound a little dumb and stupid but I was hoping you could help me go shopping for some new clothes." I grimaced as the words came out of my mouth. 

_"You want me to go shopping with you? Well, sure I don't see why not. But why the sudden interest in a new wardrobe? Are you giving yourself over to the Dark side?"_

"No." I snorted. "Well, not really. It's just that... I feel like I'm not trying my best to fit in with the others at Recon. I mean, look at Sasha, Reiner, Bert, Annie, Connie, Krista, Ymir, shit even Jean. You never see them walking around in a plain t-shirt and jeans, and I don't know... I guess, I just kind of want to be apart of that. I could at least try to understand fashion, just a little bit. Right?" There was a long pause of silence from Armin's side of the line and I anxiously waited for his response. 

_"I think that's a great idea, Eren. There's nothing wrong with trying to get to know your work a little better, and who knows, maybe you'll even like dressing up a bit around the office."_ I let out a breath I wasn't aware I'd been holding all this time before I smiled forgetting that Armin couldn't see it. 

"Thanks, Armin. So how about tomorrow since it's Saturday? I'd much rather avoid all the Black Friday chaos, you know?" 

Armin giggled, _"Sure, sounds good to me. I'll swing by and pick you up at noon."_

"Cool. Talk to you later."

\- ◆ -

Armin picked me up at noon the next day like he said he would and he sped off to the upper part of Manhattan since Armin insisted. I knew I couldn't afford super expensive brands of clothing like Armani or Prada, but I could definitely afford something a little nicer than I normally buy which is basically just t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. I've never been more grateful for the fact that my pay check is always pretty decent and it basically makes working at Recon and suffering through Levi's shit worth it.

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lGTKtqtXeE) We decided to shop at Herald Square at the Manhattan Mall, our first stop, Express. I'll admit, I'd always been a bit envious of the handsome men modeling the clothes at the Express stores but never in my life did I think I'd be going there to shop for clothes for myself. Then again, I never planned on working for a high end fashion magazine either. 

Armin and I browsed the racks and he quickly picked out several things for me to try on. It freaked me out just how Armin knew exactly what shirt to pair with what pants and accessories and all that jazz. Shit I was basically not very good at. But, I put my trust in Armin and tried on the various shirts and pants he handed to me in the dressing rooms. Armin _insisted_ everything be either slim fit, tailored, or figure hugging. 

"I'm telling you, Eren. You have an amazing physique, wide shoulders, slim waist. We've got to get you clothes that accentuate those things." Armin called over the dressing room door as I tried on a [teal colored dress shirt](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?id=117352989) with the sleeves rolled up and buttoned in place paired with a pair of slim fit slacks. 

I gave myself a once over in the mirror on the door before I opened it and walked out to show Armin. The blond tilted his head to the side when I came out and he had a small grin on his face. 

"See? I told you the slim fit look will work on you best. It fits your body shape nicely. You'll look really sharp come Monday morning." 

I smiled and rubbed the back of my neck shyly, I guess I was never very good when it came to receiving compliments but it still made me really happy anyway. Armin handed me another handful of shirts and pants to try on and told me to separate the shirts I was going to buy and the ones I wasn't on two separate hooks in the dressing room.

I did just that as I continued to model for Armin, we might have even had just a bit too much fun with it after Armin handed me a pair of jeans for women and it took everything he had not to bust out laughing when I opened the door to the dressing room dramatically and posed leaning against the door frame. I even turned around and gave my ass a loud smack and that was when Armin lost it, doubling over and shaking with uncontrolled laughter.

The moment didn't last long since the jeans were so tight they were practically painted on and they were squeezing the life out of my balls so I had to take them off quickly. From outside the dressing room I could hear Armin still in a fit of giggles as I wiggled out of those jeans designed by Satan himself and slipped back into my regular skinny jeans. (that suddenly felt very loose compared to that latex glove I just had on.) 

Armin and I went up to the Cashier once we were done shopping around and there was a small girl manning the counter as we approached. She smiled at us and scanned the price tag of the mountain of shirts and pants I piled in front of her, she eventually struck up some small talk as she totaled us up and I was glad to know that I had somehow managed to stay within my budget range. ($500 max) Thank god for Armin. The guy really knew what he was doing when it came to bargain shopping fashionably. 

My total came out to just about $300 dollars and I swiped my bank card into the little machine on the counter. As I signed for my purchase, I was leaning over the counter just a bit and the girl suddenly smiled widely at me like I had just told her she won the lottery. 

"Hey, I really like your glasses! Are those really Versace?" she inquired cheerfully. 

"Uh," I glanced at Armin dumbly and he only smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, they are. Thanks." 

"They're very chic. Those must have cost you a pretty penny. A friend of mine wanted to get some once, they ended up costing her about $300 dollars just for the frames." 

My eyes slightly widened at the information the girl had blurted out and Armin grabbed our bags thanking her. I snapped out of my minor shock over learning how expensive my new fucking glasses were and I quickly thanked the girl and we wished each other a good day before Armin and I left the store to wander the mall. 

"Holy shit, Armin. Did Levi really just give me $300 glasses?! Who the fuck even does that?" 

"Levi, apparently." Armin chuckled. 

"I'm serious, Ar! What if he expects me to pay him back? That's half my paycheck right there."

"Eren, calm down. He told you they were a replacement since Jean broke your old ones. Did he actually _tell_ you to pay him back for the glasses?"

"Well, no he didn't but-" 

"Then stop worrying and just accept them. They were obviously his way of apologizing to you about Jean's behavior. From what you told me about the shoot, Jean was a real jerk."

"And then some." I grumbled. "I don't know, Armin. I feel so uncomfortable now. Why can't Levi just say 'Sorry' like a normal fucking person?" 

"Levi's not normal, that's why. He's Levi Ackerman, remember? Nothing he does is ever normal." 

I groaned removing my glasses from my face and putting them back carefully into the dark blue velvet lined case before putting the case away in one of my shopping bags. Now that I knew how expensive my glasses were, I wasn't about to chance getting them scratched, dirty or broken. Levi did say he would make sure I was wearing them on Monday and I didn't want to think about what he'd do to me if he found out something happened to them after he just gave them to me. 

"Can we not talk about him on the weekend? It's bad enough I have to deal with him five days out of the week, sometimes six. Let's talk about something else." 

Armin and I got lost in the crowds of the mall as we walked, weaving in and out of large groups of teenagers and adults. Armin and I fell into casual conversation as we made our way over toward a shoe store, I needed a couple new pairs of shoes to go with my new clothes. Couldn't wear Converse and Vans with slacks and a button up after all. I quickly founds some shoes that caught my eye and I sat on a leather bench trying a pair of Chelsea boots on while Armin browsed next to me. 

"So, did I tell you I already saw the previews of the layout for the official December Issue?" he said casually like it was no big deal at all. 

"What!?" I squeaked. That earned me some strange looks but I didn't care. Armin needed to spill, now. 

"Do you wanna know which photo they chose for the cover?" he asked with a giggle. Man, he could be so cute but so evil sometimes. 

"Um, how about hell yes? I had to take part in the damn shoot, I think I have a right to know which photo Erwin chose for the cover." 

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Armin said sarcastically with a little eye roll. "They're going to use the one of Levi with the female model and you whispering in his ears, BUT-" he stopped me before I could open my mouth and cry, "They cropped the picture so that the focus is more on Levi than anything else. You can only see the lower part of your face pressed to the shell of his ear, the same for the female model that did the shoot with you. No one will ever know it's you." 

I breathed out a huge sigh of relief, not knowing that I had been holding my breath as if expecting the worst to be said. If Armin said no one would know, then I had full confidence in him. He hasn't steered me wrong since I first met him, so I really didn't have any reason not to trust him. I just hoped My dad and Mikasa wouldn't find out somehow. My dad I didn't really have to worry about but Mikasa... she was something else. 

"Well, I guess it's better than them using the photo of me on his lap half naked." I huffed before standing up and showing off the boots to Armin who looked down forming a small 'o' with his lips as he eyed the shoes. 

"Oh, those are perfect. You should take a pair of those. Let's look for another casual ankle boot and then we can look for a different style." he said looking at me with a smile that I returned. "About that one photo of you on his lap," Armin added and I felt my stomach sink because I knew I wasn't going to like this. "Erwin really liked that photo and insisted it be in the magazine. It's going to be the center fold for Levi's interview inside the magazine." Armin gave me a very apologetic look and I threw my head back groaning loudly. 

"Shit," I cursed loudly, not caring that I got some dirty looks from an older woman with her kid. "So much for not letting Mikasa and Dad find out. I'm so screwed." 

"Come on, Eren. It can't be that bad? Maybe they won't even be able to tell it's you? Maybe they won't even read the December issue." 

"They'll read it because Mikasa subscribed to the magazine since I started working there and this is going to be my first Issue working at Recon. I'm pretty sure Mikasa and Dad were going to make some big deal about my first release helping Recon put together this issue and instead they'll just ask me why the hell I'm _IN_ the magazine laying half naked over my boss' lap!" 

Armin clapped both of his hands on my shoulders and gave me a look that said 'Calm the fuck down you're acting like a crazy person'. I sighed and sunk back down onto the little bench trying on another pair of shoes to keep my mind occupied. I didn't want to think about Mikasa or my dad asking me about the photo shoot. It's bad enough I didn't tell them I was in the shoot in the first place, now I would have to explain to them that I had to pose with my boss in order to keep my fucking job. 

"Look, Eren. I think you're making a big deal out of this. Just tell your dad and Mikasa that the photographer asked you to pose for them and since you're a fan of his work you said yes." Armin said calmly. 

He had a good point though. I was a fan of Mike Zacharius' work and I could totally pull off that little white lie because it wasn't a total lie. If it weren't for the fact that Levi was the main focus of the photo shoot, I probably would have accepted Mike and Petra's offer to model with them in a heart beat. 

"I guess you have a point." I mumbled halfheartedly as I tried on a pair of high ankle boots. 

Armin and I ended up taking two pairs of boots and a pair of lace up oxfords for more formal occasions. With hands full with shopping bags from various stores, Armin and I left Manhattan Mall and stuffed all my shopping bags into his sky blue Kia Picanto. Armin said he liked the car because it was 'Economical'. I couldn't help but think that he liked it because it was cute. 

"So," Armin said after we buckled ourselves in and he started the engine. "Which outfit are you going to wear on monday?" 

I thought about it seriously for a moment, contemplating my choices. I had bought plenty of outfits, most of them tight fitting so I guess it didn't really matter what I wore. I guess I was taking too long to answer because Armin cleared his throat loudly and caught my attention. When I glanced over to him, he had a little mischievous look in his eyes as he smiled sweetly at me. 

"I think," he started before pulling out of our parking space. "You should definitely wear the black turtle neck. You know the one I'm talking about." he said with a little raise of his eyebrows. 

"Yeah?" I drawled, hoping to prompt more out of him. His grin grew in size when he saw he had my interests peaked now.

\- ◆ -

"I'm home!" I yelled as I walked in the front door of our house.

Mikasa was the first one to poke her head out of the living room to see me holding a shit ton of shopping bags in my arms, I had to leave some by the door to make a second trip back down the stairs since there were a lot of bags. 

"That was a short shopping trip. Where's Armin?" Mikasa asked as she leaned against the door frame of my room after following me down the stairs. 

"I invited him to stay for awhile but he got a call from Erwin and he needed to run an errand for him. He said he'll come over for dinner on Monday though." 

"Hm, well that's too bad. So, how did the shopping go?" I shuffled past Mikasa on the basement steps with her following me closely as I went to get the rest of my bags that I left by the front door. 

"It was really fun, actually. Armin helped me out a lot, I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't been there." I said with a little grin. 

"Did you trim your hair?" she asked suddenly. I dropped the rest of the bags on my bed and let out a small sigh of relief now that I had everything in my room. 

I turned to look at Mikasa and smiled widely, 

"Yeah, Armin and I both stopped by the salon at the mall to get our hair cut. He got his bangs trimmed and I asked them to just trim my split ends and even out the length. Does it look bad?" I asked, running a hand through my semi-long hair and feeling the softness the shampoo and conditioner at the Salon had left. 

Mikasa gave me a small smile, "No, it looks nice. I'm glad you're finally taming that wild mane of hair." she giggled. 

I threw my pillow at her face playfully and she caught it with her hand, damn her and her fast reflexes. I shoved some of the bags aside and fell back on my bed until I was staring up at the dark ceiling of the basement. 

"Hey, Mika?" I called hesitantly. 

"Hm?" she hummed as I heard her start going through some of my bags to put away my new clothes. Slipping the shirts onto hangers and making room for them in my closet. 

"What would you say if I told you I might have sort of been asked by Mike Zacharius to pose with Levi in his photo shoot the other day?" I worried my lower lip between my teeth as I waited for a response from Mikasa. 

The basement was deafeningly silent, it was starting to become too much for me to bare and if Mikasa didn't answer me or say something soon I think I'll have a panic attack. Slowly, she turned around to face me. Of course, her expression gave nothing away and her big, dark eyes were focused on me intensely. 

"I would hang the photos up in my room." she finally said and I let out a huge sigh of relief before I went into pure hysterics laughing. 

"I thought you'd be mad at me or something." I said after my laughter subsided and I could breath again. 

"Well, I'm not happy that you had to pose with that midget but I do want to see those pictures. Are any of them going to be in the December Issue like you said? Is it going to be on the cover?" she asked excitedly. 

"I think so. Armin said he got a peek at the cover layout and that Mr. Smith insisted the pictures I took with Levi go somewhere in the magazine." 

"So, you're going to be on the cover of Recon Magazine?" 

"In a way, yeah." 

Mikasa fell silent as we stared at each other, she had the faintest of smiles on her face barely covered by her red scarf that I gave her and I was grinning like an idiot at her feeling so much better now that I had told her. Then she suddenly whipped around and started for the stairs, 

"I'm going to tell Dad. He'll freak out." 

I shot up from the bed and grabbed her arm to stop her. 

"No! Let's keep it a surprise until the issue comes out. We'll see if he recognizes me and then we'll tell him." I said with a sly grin. 

She pouted at me, which surprisingly made her look very cute and childish and I laughed pulling her into a tight hug which she returned in full squeezing me just as tightly. 

"Fine. I'll try and keep it a secret. When does the issue come out?" she mumbled into the fabric of my t-shirt as her face was buried into my chest. 

"It officially goes to Press on the 1st of December but according to Krista, sometimes they'll give the Editor-in-Chief and the Creative Director an early release of the newest issue."

"Eren, it's the 29th today. That means the December issue will be out this coming Monday." 

I laughed, "Think you can wait another 48 hours then?" 

"I said I would try didn't I?" she grumbled, playfully hitting me in the stomach with a ball fist. 

"Okay, good. Now let's order some Pizza or something. I'm starving." 

"You know, Eren. What if you start getting offers to model for Mike Zacharius again? Maybe Pizza isn't the healthiest choice." 

I snorted, "Mikasa, I am not giving up Pizza for anyone. Not even Mike Zacharius. Besides, I highly doubt eating Pizza or greasy foods would hurt me too much. I run around so much at the office doing all of the shit Levi asks me to do, I'm sure I could sweat out two weeks worth of calories in one work day." 

"I guess you have a point. Fine, what do you want on your side of the Pizza?" 

"BACON!" 

"Eren." She said sternly. 

"No, Mikasa. I'm not giving up Bacon." I pouted. 

Suddenly my work phone started going off and I groaned trudging over to my night stand where I left it plugged in to charge while I was at the mall. Naturally, it was Levi who was calling. His contact name 'Short Satan' flashing across the touch screen and I unplugged the device from the wall charger and I turned back to tell Mikasa to order without me as I took his call reluctantly. 

"Yes, Levi?" 

_"Tch. Where the hell have you been, brat? I've been calling you all afternoon."_

"Sorry, I left my phone at home while I was out." I wasn't sorry at all. "What did you need?" 

_"Make sure you keep your phone on you at all times, Eren. It could have been important."_ I rolled my eyes. _"Anyway, I need to go over my schedule for next week with you. Also, Petra said Mike had something for me so I'm going to need you to pick whatever it is up from their studio on Monday."_

I took out a note pad I kept near my night stand and I started writing everything Levi said down onto paper so I wouldn't forget later. Levi and I went on to recite his schedule for the next week, it mostly consisted of meetings with advertisers, other department heads to discuss possible concepts for the January Issue of Recon Magazine, and a meeting with Rico Brzenska of Brzenska Cosmetics to discuss ideas for her make up line's feature in Recon. It wasn't even Monday yet and I already knew this coming week would be busy as hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just kind of an in between chapter to show that Eren is about to go from drab to fab in the next chapter. Be prepared because the sexual tension is about to go through the roof. Starting from next chapter on.


	7. I'm a Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“Always dress like you’re going to see your worst enemy.”_ — **Kimora Lee**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say, that the outfits I created for this particular chapter have me so smitten right now. I think they're the best outfits I've made for Levi and the others so far and they're definitely my favorite outfits. I mean Hanji in a fucking pantsuit with boss ass heels? How can someone not love that image?!  
> I'm such a Fashion nerd~ ♥

I had to walk fast as I entered the Survey Corp building. It was so unlike me to be fucking late to work and having started my morning off on the wrong foot already I could tell the rest of the day was going to be complete shit. I had meetings and statements to make on today's official release of the December Issue and it would be my first Issue release as Recon's Editor-in-Chief.

I walked into the ever bustling building grumbling under my breath as nobody could move out of my fucking way fast enough. My shiny black [Versace](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=135780471) shoes clicked noisily against the polished tile, tch, at least the janitors were doing their fucking jobs right for a change. The floors didn't look completely fucking filthy, at least. The little shits that were chatting in front of the elevators were starting to get on my nerves as I waited behind them.

The two guys yapping away in front of me glanced back at me as I huffed loudly while tapping the toe of my shoe against the tile to show my lack of patience for their bullshit. They were both dressed in polo shirts, jeans and some kind of weird fucking sandals. I immediately connected the dots and worked out these two were from that stupid Sports Magazine, Garrison sports on the 18th floor. I rolled my eyes as they immediately shut their mouths and stopped talking, slightly moving away from me altogether when they noticed it was me standing behind them huffing and sounding irritated as we waited for the Elevator. Good, they better be fucking scared. 

Finally, after an eternity of waiting (it was really like 5 minutes) the elevator dinged softly before the chrome doors opened and the previous passengers let themselves out reminding me of a heard of cows as they pushed and shoved out of the elevators. I lingered behind the chaos just a bit knowing full well what was going to happen once those doors opened, apparently the two idiots from Garrison must have been new because they were standing right in the front of the doors when the crowd of other workers stampeded out nearly knocking them over. 

Once the chaos had died down a bit, I took a step forward to step onto the elevator when a hand wrapped around my neck and pulled me back abruptly nearly knocking me back on my ass as I stumbled to catch my balance. 

" _Fucking- shit!_ " I hissed as I tried to take a swing at whoever the fuck dared to put their filthy, grimy ass hands on me and my expensive new trench coat. 

"Levi!" I heard Hanji's voice whisper-shout to me sounding more excited than anything else. 

I growled in response, and decided to chance taking a swing at her anyway but I missed and Hanji suddenly spun me around shoving the big, manic grin on her face in my line of view and I leaned back scowling up at her. 

"Fucking shitty glasses! What the fuck do you think you're doin-"

"Levi! You'll never guess what happened when I came into work this morning!" she interrupted bouncing up and down on the heels she was wearing. 

I took a moment to appreciate what Hanji was [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=135780636), a black pinstripe Dolce&Gabbana pantsuit that fit her impeccably well with pair of black floral lace ankle boots with at _least_ a 4 inch heel. As if she wasn't already tall enough for a woman, I sucked my teeth and crossed my arms over my chest glaring up at her. 

"What? You took a big shit in the office bathrooms and flooded the toilets again because that sounds like something you would do." I quipped, rolling my eyes. 

"What? No! That happened last week." she waved her hand in the air in a dismissive manner and I curled my lip at her in disgust. "No, this has to do with Eren! You'll never believe what happened when I came into the office earlier and saw him coming in!" she clasped her hands together beaming widely as he big, brown eyes glittered in excitement. 

"Tch, speaking of that brat, he better have my fucking coffee on my desk and that 'thing' I asked him to pick up from Mike's studio." I grumbled as I turned to catch another elevator.

"Oh! Levi, here he comes now!" Hanji exclaimed as she grabbed me by my wrists and yanked me back to my previous spot.

I jerked my hand from her grasp and was about to stick my foot up her ass for manhandling me so much in the last 5 minutes, but then I heard hushed whispering and quiet murmurs coming from the direction Hanji was staring in and I slowly let my gaze follow hers. Now, if I had been a lesser man and if my jaw wasn't connected to my skull, I'm pretty sure my mouth would have been hanging wide open and my jaw would be on the floor. 

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emnAAZSuRxU) My assistant Eren came walking down the main lobby floor [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=135780665) the tightest black turtle neck I'd ever seen in my life. I think it was even tighter than the one they made him wear at the photo shoot last week. I could make out every curve of muscle on his lithe body as he crossed the main lobby floor, his long, brown hair pushed back messily but it complimented the casual feel of his outfit. Tight dark grey skinny jeans and a pair of buckled boots that looked like they could kill a man. I watched in slight wonder as he strutted across the shiny marble floors looking like a completely different person from the lanky, eyesore he was last week. This perfect creature couldn't possibly be my nerdy assistant, could it? He walked with such confidence in every step, like the little shit knew how good he looked in that damn outfit of his.

As he moved closer toward us, I could make out that he was wearing the new Versace glasses I had given him and I could feel a small twitch in the corner of my lip, threatening to let a smirk or a smile grow on my face but like hell if I was going to show my satisfaction in knowing he wore the glasses I gave him and they looked damn good on him too. Then, when he was just a few meters away from us, I could clearly make out that he wasn't wearing his contacts today. Bright, luminous turquoise and shimmering honey gold scanned the floor once before those mismatched eyes caught my own gaze and I sucked in a small breath as his face lit up with recognition and he approached us. 

"Good Morning, Miss Hanji." He greeted coolly with a friendly grin on his face, bypassing me entirely. The little shit stain. 

"Eren! You little devil, you pulled a What Not To Wear on us!" Hanji said putting her hands on Eren's broad shoulders and feeling the material of the turtle neck he was wearing. "Oh, Alexander McQueen! Very good choice! You can never go wrong with McQueen." 

I loudly cleared my throat and removed the sunglasses I still had perched on the bridge of my nose so I could glare at the two of them. When two sets of eyes turned to look at me, I quirked one of my eyebrows at them expectantly but they both just stared at me blankly. 

"Tch. What the fuck do I look like? Last seasons Prada shoes?" I grumbled. 

"Good Morning, Levi." Eren said after a soft elbow nudge from Hanji that didn't go unnoticed by me. 

Of course, his greeting toward me was severely lacking the cheerfulness that had just been there moments ago when he first greeted Hanji and the fact that I even noticed stupid shit like that annoyed me to no end. What did I care if the kid didn't smile and greet me like he was actually happy to see me? I'm his Boss, it's my job to make him not like me, right? 

"Whatever, Brat. Let's hurry the fuck up and get to our floor before I start having caffeine withdrawals." I turned abruptly and ran straight into a brick fucking wall wearing an Armani suit. 

What the fuck was up with me running into people I hate this morning? I was starting to regret coming into work today altogether. I looked up at the fucker who was blocking my way and saw calculating blue eyes staring not at straight at me, but at a certain bright eyed assistant of mine and I scowled snapping my fingers in front of Erwin's face to catch his attention. 

"Hey, fucking eyebrows. Did you finally go senile? Why the fuck are you just standing there like an idiot?" I did not give a single fuck that I got some strange looks from other employees as they passed. 

Blue eyes finally shifted downward to meet my glare and Erwin had the nerve to smile at me, the bastard. I mumbled something under my breath as he patted my shoulder roughly,

"Oh, I'm sorry Levi. I didn't see you there." Fuck Erwin Smith. I heard Hanji snickering behind me. 

"Fucking big ass tall people..." I said under my breath. 

"Good morning, Hanji. You're looking nice today." Erwin said as he side-stepped me to get to Hanji and Eren. 

"Why thank you, boss! You're looking pretty sharp yourself! Speaking of sharp, How about our little Eren here? Doesn't he look _amazing?!_ " 

I turned around just in time to see Erwin placing a hand on Eren's bicep and letting it linger there a bit too long than I deemed necessary. I could see the hungry way Erwin was eyeing the kid from head to toe taking in his full appearance and this is just my guess but, undressing him with his eyes. Eren had that stupid dazed look on his face again, like a love sick teenager staring at their celebrity crush in a magazine fold out. 

"I almost didn't recognize you, Eren. It's like you've transformed to the model in the magazine." Erwin said with a polite smile, his hand slowly trailing upward towards Eren's shoulder. 

"Um, I'm flattered, sir. But I'm still the same Eren Jaeger from before." Eren said, trying to fake confidence when I could clearly see the way his adam's apple bobbed in his throat when he swallowed nervously. 

I rolled my eyes getting tired of watching this bullshit going on between my boss and my assistant. Erwin was acting like if there was no one else in the lobby with us, or like he forgot he was even in the middle of the main lobby altogether. I wouldn't have put it past him to just start fucking Eren right in the middle of the floor and making a show of it, the way he was staring at him like a starved beast looking at a piece of meat. 

"Are we through here? I have work to do and I'm pretty sure you do too, Erwin." I interjected suddenly. 

Three sets of eyes turned to look at me and I huffed turning on the heel of my shoe to start for the elevators. I didn't think I had to tell Eren to follow me since it should have been burned into his brain by now that when I leave, he follows. I heard a mixture of 'goodbyes' and 'see you later's coming from the trio behind me before I heard a set of boots clomping against the polished floor to catch up with me. 

Once in the solitude of the elevator, It was finally just Eren and I alone and he stood quietly in one corner watching the lighted numbers blink as we rode up to our destination. The silence was thick and tense between us as we stood in silence and for once, the silence was too much for me to handle and I was forced to break it first. 

"You're wearing them." I said, my voice cutting through the thick silence that had blanketed us. 

Eren looked over at me and blinked in confusion at my words. Shit, I hadn't been clear in what I said, I kind of just said whatever was on my mind at the moment to save myself from the awkward silence of the elevator ride. I sighed indigently and reached a hand up to tap at the black frame of the glasses I had given him. Realization lit up his colorful eyes and he formed a small 'o' with his pink lips. 

"Yeah, well. You did say you would know the difference if I wasn't wearing these today, so I didn't really have much of a choice now did I?" and there was the sass I'd come to expect from him. 

I let out a loud snort, "Don't make it sound like I forced you to wear them, kid. I only said that to ensure you wouldn't try pawning them or something." 

"Please, I'm not that desperate for a quick buck." he said with a roll of his eyes. I saw the flashes of warm gold and cool turquoise under the florescent lighting of the elevator and I was quickly reminded that Eren wasn't wearing his contacts today. 

I briefly wondered what reason he had to hide his eyes? They were beautiful and I wasn't the only one who thought so obviously but it made me curious as to why he felt the need to cover them up with contacts instead of showing them off to the world. I didn't get the chance to delve too deeply into my own questions as the elevator finally reached our floor, softly chiming as the door opened and I straightened my posture and briskly walked out of the elevator. 

As I walked through the floor, maneuvering past the round receptionists desk in the front, I saw Jean and Krista looking busy. That is, until they both looked up and saw Eren and I. I highly doubted they were sitting there gaping because of me, I mean, I always looked pretty sharp but today I knew that if I got more stares than usual it was because of my surprisingly attractive assistant and his new found hotness. 

Jean would have probably looked more offended than surprised if it weren't for the fact that his mouth was quite literally hanging open as we walked by. Krista seemed to compose herself much more quickly than Jean did and she smiled and greeted Eren and I as we rounded the receptionists desk, Eren having to stop and talk to the small blonde girl to get any messages that might have come for me before Eren or I were actually in the office.

I could faintly make out their conversation as I kept walking forward. 

"Wow, Eren! I almost didn't recognize you. Are those really your eyes? They're so pretty!" 

"Thanks, Krista. You're too sweet. Are these all the messages for Levi?" 

"Yup! Oh, and Sasha wanted me to tell you this when I saw you. We're all getting together at -" at this point I was too far away to catch anymore of what was being said and I sooner than later reached my office and pushed the door open stepping inside. 

I shrugged my trench coat off and hung it up on the rack behind the door before I rounded my large glass desk and took a seat in the leather chair my ass had grown so accustomed to by now. There was already a cup of hot coffee, black, sitting on my desk and I wondered when Eren had the time to get me my coffee when he had just gotten into the building himself after I did. My chance to ask him came as he soon entered my office with a little neon pink sticky note stuck to his index finger as he approached my desk,

"How'd you get my coffee if you just got into work?" I asked, raising one of my eyebrows at him questioningly. 

"I didn't just get into work. I've been here since 8am. You asked me to come in a little earlier than usual so I could pick up that 'thing' from Mike's studio and I went on a coffee run before I headed out to the studio and asked Hanji to bring your coffee up here to leave it on your desk when you came in, when we met downstairs in the lobby I was just coming back from picking up the package from Petra." 

Eren reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small Manila envelope with my name scrawled out in Petra's neat handwriting on the front and he handed the envelope to me when I held my hand out for it. I debated opening it now, but I decided I'd wait until I was alone in my office. Not that I thought Petra sent me anything that I thought shouldn't be seen but it just felt more appropriate for some reason. 

"What were my messages from Krista about?" I asked, getting down to business as I took a quick sip of the piping hot coffee and put the manila envelope aside for now. 

"Someone from Brzenska cosmetics called and gave us a date for when Ms. Rico Brzenska was available for a meeting about her cosmetics line we'll be featuring in next issues magazine. They wondered if we could set up the meeting for this coming Friday on the 5th?" 

"Fine. Call them back and set it up, give the meeting the green light and have Hanji in my office to discuss concept ideas later. What else?" 

"You've been invited to Christmas parties from Givenchy, Versace, and Prada. They want to know if you'll be RSVPing or not and if you'll be bringing a plus one." 

"Tch, they do this shit to me every year. RSVP for Versace, and Givenchy. I attended last year's Prada Christmas Gala and it was a total fucking snooze fest." 

Eren snorted, "Oh, you poor thing. Forced to sit through such a boring party." 

"I'm fucking serious. It was the worst. If it hadn't been for the free alcohol, I would have been fine with hanging myself with my tie if I had to sit through that fucking party sober." 

"That sounds like something only an alcoholic would say, Levi." 

"When you're me, kid, Alcohol is the only thing to keep you sane sometimes." 

Eren seemed to ignore that little off-handed comment of mine as he wrote down some things in his little note pad. His thick eyebrows knitting together in concentration making him look a little miffed as he wrote. 

"What about your plus one? Should I tell them you'll be bringing someone?" he asked, glancing up at me briefly as his glasses slid down the bridge of his nose slightly. 

I saw those mismatched eyes meet mine and I quickly looked away, spinning in my chair to look out the window pretending to be in thought as I paused and chewed the inside of my lower lip. There was really nothing for me to think about, I always brought a plus one to those stupid parties just for the sake of good publicity. 

"I guess, throwing a bone to the Paparazzi by bringing a date wouldn't hurt any." I said with a sigh as I tried to busy myself by grabbing a stack of papers that needed reviewing from the Features department. 

Eren said nothing and the only sounds I heard were of his pen scribbling down words on paper and then the sound of him turning on the sole of his boots to leave my office once he was done. My eyes subconsciously followed his retreating figure as he planted himself to his desk and I watched him through the glass of my office as he picked up the phone and started making calls. 

After a few seconds of me watching Eren talk on a fucking phone, I was starting to feel like some lecherous stalker and I snapped my eyes back to the papers in front of me. They didn't stay on the endless wall of text long before my eyes were wandering once more, this time to the little manila envelope I had set aside earlier. Petra's handwriting was practically taunting me, daring me to open the envelope and see what was inside. 

The envelope didn't feel very heavy or thick when Eren handed it to me so I could only assume that what she sent me where pictures of sorts. Probably from last week's photo shoot no doubt. Eventually, giving into my curiosity, I reached for the envelope and pulled the little metal tabs back opening the flap and tilting the envelope to the side to let it's contents spill out.

There were about 3 photos inside, all about 10"x 8" inches. I looked at the first two photos on top which were of me wearing the two different outfits from the shoots, the Givenchy suit first with my hair looking a hot mess and then the second outfit with the white floral print blazer and the Dolce&Gabbana pants. The last photo, however, caught me extremely off guard. 

It was a picture of Eren with his shirt off, it looked like he was laughing at something and like he wasn't aware the photo was being taken at all. His body was tilted slightly to the side like if he was turning around to walk off somewhere and his long, slicked back hair looked a little wind swept. He had a hand raised to his face, like if he was getting ready to cover his smile with a hand but apparently Mike had captured his smile before he did. His eyes seemed to be glittering in the picture, as if I was really staring at the moment as it happened and I remembered just how damn good of a photographer Mike was for awhile there. He captured this moment with Eren laughing perfectly. 

Staring at the picture of Eren's naked torso and his smooth, tanned skin peppered with little moles and freckles reminded me of how I had had the chance to touch that smooth skin of his when he was leaning against my lap during the shoot. It wasn't like I had intended to do it, but somewhere during the shoot I had let my hand stray until it found it's way into his hair first, carding through the surprisingly soft locks. Then I just let my hand trail down the nape of his neck until I was eventually just outright stroking his spine softly with feather light touches of my fingertips, feeling the way his body reacted to my touches and slightly shivered at the contact. 

I stopped that train of thought right there as I shoved the pictures back into the envelope and abandoned them in a drawer where I wouldn't be tempted to keep staring at that fucking picture of Eren anymore. I don't care how good the stylists and make up artists made him look for the shoot, in the end I always reminded myself that he was still that lanky ass kid who walked into the Survey Corp building wearing fucking Converse and jeans. New clothes and a hair cut wasn't going to change my original opinion of him, that he was a fucking shitty brat and always would be.

\- ♦ -

Later that afternoon, Hanji was sitting in the chair on the other side of my desk helping me go over possible ideas for the Brzenska Cosmetics ad we were going to feature in next month's issue. The knowing looks and sly grins she was giving me from across the table didn't go unnoticed by me but I chose to ignore them for the sake of my own sanity. Unfortunately, Hanji had other ideas in mind.

"So," she drawled casually. "Reiner's been talking to Eren for a while now. What do you think they're saying?"

"Like I would fucking know. Go find out for yourself, four eyes. Since you're so damn curious about other people's business." I bit back sending her a glare. 

"You're telling me you're not the least bit curious about what Big, blond and ripped is telling him?" she asked giving me an incredulous look. 

"No. I'm telling you I don't give a shit what Braun is telling him. Besides, I could probably guess without even putting much effort into. Probably some cheesy ass pick up line about how his eyes are beautiful, how good he looks in that turtle neck, did it hurt when he fell from heaven, shit like that." 

Hanji was howling with laughter as she leaned back in her seat and swung her legs back and forth. I rolled my eyes and massaged my temples, listening to Hanji's obnoxious laugh was like listening to banshee screeching in the night and I wondered how I've put up with her all these years without committing homicide. 

While Hanji was occupied laughing herself into oblivion, I looked behind her mess of brown hair to see that Reiner was gone but in his place the Marco kid was talking to Eren now. I quietly watched the exchange between them, Marco compared to Reiner looked so unsure of himself as he stood there by Eren's desk with a hand nervously rubbing the back of his neck. Eren on the other hand, looked completely in his element. 

I hadn't noticed that Hanji's laughter had already stopped, thank fuck, and she was now smirking at me when I flicked my eyes toward her face and I frowned. 

"Shut up, Lord of the Geeks." 

"Aw, Levi. You haven't called me that since we first started working at Recon together!" she cooed. 

"Yeah? Well, I guess that will have to change." 

"You like him, admit it." 

"Who, shitty glasses?" 

"Don't play dumb! Eren!" 

I stared at her for what seemed like hours when in reality I'm sure it was only a minute or two. What in all that was holy and good would possess Hanji to ask me a stupid fucking question like that? I liked my assistant? This is where Hanji differed from normal people. See, normal people would have seen the way I treated Eren and thought 'Man, that guy is an asshole. He must really hate his assistant.' but Hanji fucking Zoe takes me treatment of Eren in a 'Oh, look. You're bullying him so that must mean you like him!' sort of way. 

"Have you been sniffing glue again, Hanji? Because you must be fucking high if you think that I like Jaeger of all people." 

"Please, honey. Anyone can see that he's the best damn assistant you've ever had and he's adjusted so well to his job in under a months time. Look me in the eyes and tell me you wouldn't miss him if he weren't your assistant anymore." 

I glared at her, "I wouldn't miss him if he weren't my assistant." 

"Argh! You're impossible!" she huffed, throwing her hands in the air in defeat. "Just admit that you like the kid, Levi! Why try to lie to your best friend!?" 

"Since when are you my best friend, shit head?" 

"Since day one of working here when I bumped into you while you were bringing coffee to Erwin and I stained that pretty white cravat you were wearing. Remember that?" she beamed. 

"How could I fucking forget? That was the first time I ever wanted to murder someone multiple times over." I chuckled darkly at the memory. 

Hanji looked at me with a certain warmth in her big, brown eyes. It reminded me of how when we first met she never wore make up and now that I looked at her in the present sitting across from me in that pantsuit that fit her like a glove, I could see mascara on her already long eyelashes and the faint bronze eye shadow she used along with a thin layer of gloss on her lips. 10 years could really change a person and I wondered just how much my own appearance had changed since our Assistant days. 

"You know, I always thought you'd be someone important to the magazine one day." she spoke with a fond tone in her voice. 

"Yeah, right." I snorted, leaning back in my seat. 

"I'm serious! You went from being Erwin's Assistant to being an editor, to Creative Director and then suddenly Editor-in-Chief of the whole damn magazine in only 10 years time! That's pretty amazing, Levi." 

"Let's not forget about the dark times when I neglected work to party and sleep around all the time and nearly overdosed. Fun times." I said bitterly. 

"Levi." Hanji said sternly. "That's not something you should joke about. We were all really worried about you and I think Erwin is starting worry you're going down the same path again. Why else do you think he hired Eren? Just for laughs?" 

"Tch. Don't start getting all motherly on me, Hanji. Erwin was an asshole for hiring that kid to babysit me like a fucking child." 

"You have to admit though, you haven't gone partying since he's starting working for you." 

"Because I have too much shit to do as Editor-in-Chief. I'm 32 years old for crying out loud, I'm not that dumb kid from Jersey anymore." 

Hanji and I stared at each other for a long while. The silent conversation going on between us saying more than could ever be said with words. Damn her for getting me all worked up over my past. It was too damn early for me to be thinking about such depressing shit. 

"We're getting off topic here. We need to figure out what kind of theme we're going to use for Rico's fucking make up line. I don't get why she has to be so damn picky." I grumbled, running a hand through my undercut. 

"Oh! Why don't we include Eren in this?! He did such a good job suggesting that idea to put you on the cover! I'm sure there's plenty more in that cute little head of his!" Hanji shot up from her chair and started for my office door. 

"Hanji, wait! Don't-" I was too late to stop her though. 

"Eren! Be a dear and come in, we'd like your help with something!" I heard her say excitedly. 

I groaned but chanced a glance out the glass of my window. Eren looked slightly surprised to be asked for help but he smiled brightly and stood up from his desk with his note pad and pen in hand. Marco from accounting was still there but Eren quickly dismissed him and Marco smiled awkwardly before he waved and left. I don't know why, but knowing Eren blew Marco off for work was kind of satisfying. 

Hanji came back into my office with Eren on her heels and she took her previous seat while Eren took the other unoccupied chair in front of my desk. He looked between Hanji and I expectantly. 

"So, Eren. My darling, brilliant, cute little Eren!" Hanji cooed. "We would like to know if you had any ideas for the Brzenska Cosmetics supplement layout!" 

Eren's eyes widened at Hanji's reveal. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, then opened it, then closed. He looked like a fish desperately trying to get air. Then, as if something clicked, he had that determined look on his face all of a sudden. It was amazing to see how expressive the kid could be in such a sort amount of time. 

"Are you kidding? All I've been doing today is gathering information on Brzenska Cosmetics for Levi. I've gone over the statistics and demographics and I've thought of a few concepts Recon Magazine could use for the supplement." He said confidently. 

Hanji was smiling manically, "Perfect! We're a team then! Tell us whatever is on that brilliant mind of yours!" 

Eren, Hanji and I spent the next two hours going over possible supplement ideas, most of them Eren's, and if I was being honest they were all pretty good. Better than the shit someone else could have come up with, in fact. I had to say, I was impressed with the brat. He was actually good for something other than just getting my coffee and tea and dusting my office. 

"So it's settled. We'll go with Eren's idea and set up a meeting with the photographers on Wednesday to discuss the concept, then we're meeting with Rico on Friday to present the concept and to get her approval and it'll be smooth sailing from there!" Hanji beamed. 

"Don't get too comfortable just yet, shitty glasses. You know how difficult Rico can be. We're not in the clear just yet." I said, taking a sip of the tea provided by Eren. 

"Oh, would you stop being such a downer? Eren's idea is flawless! Rico will take one look at it and approve it on the spot!" Hanji stood up from her seat and stretched before starting to my office door. 

She exchanged a few words of praise to Eren who awkwardly accepted them as he saw her out of my office. She pulled Eren into a tight hug and I smirked seeing how put off Eren looked by Hanji's sudden displays of affections. I was used to her random outbursts by now, but it was still amusing to see Eren's slightly terrified look like he would piss himself any second. Then it was just the two of us, and Eren busied himself with cleaning up the mess Hanji left behind in my office. 

"Oi, Eren." I called, never taking my eyes off of the papers in front of me.

"Yeah?" 

"If you ever have any ideas you want to pitch to me again in the future, just do it. We're a team now, got it?" This time, I did look up to gauge his reaction and this time I saw him smile genuinely for a change. 

"Got it." 

I had the words on the tip of my tongue and I hesitated to say them. I was never one for praise or compliments, especially for someone else. But, damn the kid had really come through for us today and I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy going over supplement ideas with him and Hanji. 

"You did good today, Kid." this time, it wasn't a compliment or a praise that was mumbled or murmured quietly. I said it loudly and clearly to ensure that he understood that I meant it. 

"Wow, um, Thanks." He said dumbly. 

"Don't act like I've never praised you before, dumb ass." I scoffed.

Eren laughed. It was a quiet, breathy laugh but the sound caught me by surprise anyway. I flicked my gaze up to see him already staring back at me with a bright smile on his face. His eyes were shining with amusement, translucent turquoise and honey gold. 

"Sorry. I thought I was dreaming for a minute." he said with a chuckle. 

"Tch. Hurry up and get out of here. You're bothering me." I grumbled, throwing a pen that was sitting on my desk at him. 

Surprisingly, he caught it and held it up in the air as if it were a trophy of sorts and I rolled my eyes at him. 

"Whatever you say, Boss." 

Once he was out of my office, I chuckled to myself. He could be such a little shit but I found myself enjoying his witty little comments and his sassy remarks. He was one hell of an assistant, I'd give him that much. If it had been anyone else working for me, they probably would have quit within the first day and left here crying. I heard my office door open softly and without looking up from the paper work in front of me I spoke, 

"What? Did you forget something, Jaeger?" I asked, but got no response. 

A little irritated with the lack of reply, I lifted my head up to glare at the brat for not answering me but was surprised to see Jean standing with his back pressed against the door. He looked pissed, if his narrowed eyes and frown were anything to go by. 

"What is it? You know not to bother me during work hours unless I ask you to." I said, straightening up in my seat and giving Jean a jaded look as he sauntered up to my desk. 

"I know the rules, Levi. Better than anyone else, in fact." when he reached my desk, he raised a hand up and grabbed my tie tugging on it gently as he smirked. "I just thought I'd come in to remind you about our date tonight. You promised." he purred. 

"I didn't forget and you didn't need to remind me." I jerked my tie out of his grasp and his smirk dropped. 

"You know, I'm starting to think you actually _want_ to keep Jaeger on as your Assistant." Jean scoffed. I sighed, already annoyed with this situation. 

"and why would you think that?" 

"Because you're not even trying to get him to quit anymore! First the photo shoot, then this? You promised me this position months ago, or have you forgotten already?" 

"I haven't forgotten." I growled out. "The photo shoot was out of my control, you want to bitch at someone? Bitch at Mike and Petra, not me." 

Jean scoffed and rolled his eyes before he turned to walk out of my office. I stayed watching him until he reached the door yanking it open and stopping only to look back at me. 

"See you tonight." and then he walked out and slammed the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone's in denial again~ Also, y'all got a little insight into Levi's past e u e


	8. Call Me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“Fashion is very important. It is life-enhancing and, like everything that gives pleasure, it is worth doing well.”_ — **Vivienne Westwood**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, let me just give credit where it's due. 
> 
> The _**AMAZING**_ Magazine Cover art was done by the equally as amazing [ Paunlinkaaxx](http://paulinkaaxx.tumblr.com/post/98554394677/i-know-the-magazine-wasnt-released-yet-but-you)!! Thank you again, darling~ You don't have any idea how much I adore this and you for making it! 
> 
> Now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER~!

The first day back to work was in one word; Chaos. Everyone on the 26th floor was in a frenzy over the December Issue's cover, which was graced by our very own Editor-in-Chief Levi but unknown to anyone who wasn't at the shoot, also included me; Eren Jaeger. Not that you'd actually be able to tell it was me, but I was pretty grateful for that.

I had somehow managed to get through the first week of December. The newest Issue of Recon was a hit on the news stands and probably our most sold issue to date. You couldn't walk down any side walk in New York City without seeing Levi's face on the cover of our Magazine. He was on every corner news stand, in every store's magazine rack, hell, I think he was even on a billboard I saw once on the way home but that's beside the point.

Levi had become the poster child for Recon Magazine, and his reputation as a notorious man whore was actually helping our sales. Recon was the new controversial magazine on the scene now that we had put Levi on the cover, which was exactly the reason I suggested the idea in the first place. There's that saying, _"No Publicity is bad publicity"_. So we were obviously doing something right, considering the Paparazzi has been following Levi and Erwin like the Plague. Once again, I was grateful for being a no name model. 

Finally, it was friday and the meeting with Miss Rico Brzenska of Brzenska cosmetics herself would be coming in for the meeting on the supplement in our magazine. I had about two hours until the meeting, so I decided to get some Lunch with Armin in the cafeteria. Levi went with Hanji for his lunch break, so I would get at least a half hour of peace. 

I found the familiar blond head of hair quickly among the crowded cafeteria, where he was already sitting with his salad and sparkling water. He was seriously just so damn adorable. I took the unoccupied seat next to him setting down my tray of a turkey on wheat bread sandwich and vitamin water (because Mikasa says I don't eat healthy enough, pfft.). The blond startled but then he smiled widely when he saw it was me. 

"Hey, good looking." he said with a giggle and I rolled my eyes. 

"Stop it. Ugh, I swear. I'm so over everyone practically undressing me with their eyes wherever I go. How do hot people do it?" I groaned, snapping the cap to my vitamin water open and taking a long gulp. XXX was my shit. 

"Why are you even complaining? You were a regulation hottie before we transformed you. Own the hotness."

"Did you seriously just quote Mean Girls?" 

"I might have." 

"Oh my god." I couldn't help but laugh. "What does 'Regulation Hottie' even mean?" 

Armin cleared his throat, sitting a little straighter in his seat now. 

"It's someone who has the looks to be hot but hasn't been "noticed" yet." he elaborated. 

"I don't even want to know how you know that." I said taking a bite of my sandwich. 

"By the way, what time is it?" Armin asked with a sly grin. 

"I seriously love you, you know that?" I said shaking my head as I lifted my left wrist to show off the watch I was wearing. 

Armin had given me an Armani watch that he'd gotten as a birthday gift from Erwin last year. You could imagine my surprise when Armin just _gave_ me a fucking Armin watch that probably cost hundreds but according to him, he already had one he'd previously gotten from Erwin this year and he saw no point in keeping a watch he wasn't going to use. Thus, how I ended up up with the nicest watch I'd ever owned in my entire life. 

"It seriously looks good with what you're [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=136124597) today. Did you pick out today's outfit yourself or did Mikasa help you?" he teased. 

"Give me some credit, Ar. Geez." I whined. 

"Okay, okay. But on another note, is that a new phone case?" he pointed his fork in the direction of my phone sitting on top of the table face down. 

"Yeah, Mika got it for me. They're really popular at the Boutique she works at or something and she got me one before they were all sold out. Cute right?" 

"It's Moschino. Of course they sell quickly. Have you gotten anyone asking you for your phone number yet?" Armin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at me. 

I snorted, "As if." 

"Well, heads up. Tall, blond and hot is on his way over here now." Armin said with a cheeky grin and I nearly spit my water all over him. 

I swallowed before I could make a fool out of myself and hesitantly glanced behind me where I saw Reiner making a B line for our table as he crossed the Cafeteria. Holy shit, talk about good timing. Armin was snickering in a very not-so-discreet way and I fixed him with a glare before I heard Reiner's cool voice greet us as he reached our table. 

"Hey, Armin." He said with a crooked grin and a head nod in Armin's direction who only smiled and gave him a small wave. "Hey, beautiful." I noticed the way his voice dropped down an octave and fuck, could Reiner be any hotter? I'm pretty sure I was turning red if the heat I felt rising to my cheeks was anything to go by. 

"Hey." I greeted back shyly. What the fuck? Get your shit together, Eren. 

"So, Sasha told you about the club we're all meeting at tonight, right?" Reiner asked leaning against the table. 

"Yeah, Club Sina right? I heard it's ridiculously hard to get in there." 

"Well, word is Erwin rented the whole place out to throw a celebration party of sorts for the success of Recon's December issue there tonight and all Survey Corp employee's get in free with workplace I.D." 

"No way." I snorted, looking over at Armin who only nodded his head affirmatively. 

"It's true but to be honest I didn't just come over here to tell you that. I also came to ask for your number of course." Reiner flashed me a toothy smirk. 

"You're the worst pick up artist ever." I laughed. 

"But you're still gonna give me your number, right? Come on, look at this face." Reiner pointed to himself as he pouted and gave me puppy eyes and I had to stifle the laugh that threatened to bubble out as I saw the adorable sight. It was funny and cute as shit considering Reiner was built like a tank and here he was giving me puppy dog eyes and pouting like a child. 

"Alright, fine. Give me your phone." 

Reiner lit up like a christmas tree and immediately fished out his phone to hand it to me. I tapped in my number and saved it to his contacts before handing it back to him. I couldn't believe this was actually happening right now. I'd been crushing on Reiner since I first met him and now he had even asked for my number. I knew he was interested in my before but I thought it was only in the friendly sort of way despite his sometimes flirtatious passes. Reiner was always a bit flirtatious with everyone, that's partially what made him so easy to like. 

"Sweet. So I'll see you at Club Sina tonight, right?" he asked, a hopeful tone in his voice. 

"For sure. I'd be stupid not to take this chance to party in one of the hardest-to-get-into clubs in the city." 

"I'll make sure to save a dance for you then." Reiner winked at me and then he was making his way back across the Cafeteria. 

I sat still for a moment going over what just happened in my head like a movie and I heard Armin clear his throat. When my eyes snapped up to look at him, he was grinning like mad. 

"Shut up." I said, shoving Armin's shoulder playfully. 

He held his hands up defensively and we skipped the girl talk for later. I was more than positive Armin and I were going to be on the phone for hours trying to help me decide what I was going to wear tonight. Meanwhile, Marco Bodt was making his way over to our table now and we both smiled at the freckled boy who smiled just as brightly back. 

"Hey, Marco." I greeted cheerfully. 

"Hey, guys. Congratulations on the new Issue, Eren. The entire building's been buzzing about it all week." 

"Yeah, tell me about it. I think all of Manhattan has Levi's face plastered on every street corner and shopping mall window." 

"I think it's great." Marco said with a laugh that crinkled the corners of his warm brown eyes. Adorable. "I picked up a copy of Recon the other day too just out of pure curiosity and something about the centerfold photo with Levi and the two models has been bothering me." he admitted shyly. 

Oh shit, here it comes. He knows, Marco fucking knows it's me in the centerfold layout. Shit, how was I going to explain this one? 

"Call me crazy, but the male model in that photo looks a lot like you. Jean won't tell me who the model is though, even though he was at the shoot that day." Marco laughed nervously. 

Hearing Jean's name irked me. That annoying horse-faced bastard, I'd almost forgotten that he was at the shoot that day and suddenly all the dirty looks he's been sending me all week made sense to me and could possibly be because of the fact that I was both on the cover of Recon magazine and in the centerfold. Well, shit. It's not like _I_ planned this whole thing but Jean was acting like a jealous frienemy.

"Ah, yeah. Actually-" 

"Mr. Zacharius liked Eren so much that he asked him to model. Isn't that great?" Armin cut in with a cheerful demeanor. He was a godsend, I swear. 

Marco looked stunned, "...Wow. I thought those eyes looked familiar. After all, I think you're the only one in the city with eyes those particular colors." he tacked on a blinding smile at the end and I might have felt like I was a shy 5 year old who was just told by their crush that they think they're cute. At least, that's how it felt to me. 

"Um, so I was wondering..." Marco started but then trailed off as he leaned with one of his hands flat on the table top and the other rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "... uh, do you think I could call you sometime?" he finally asked with a lopsided grin. Now how could I possibly say no to that? 

"Sure." I said with a smile. 

Marco looked like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he all too quickly fished out his phone handing it to me with a wide grin. Fucking adorable. Just like I had done with Reiner, I tapped in my phone number and name with a little heart winky face emoji next to my contact name and handed Marco his phone back. He stood there awkwardly for a few moments before he chuckled nervously and glanced around, 

"Um, so are you guys going to be at Club Sina tonight? I heard almost everyone is going." he asked, trying to sound casual. 

"Yeah, actually Reiner just came and told us about it." Armin added. I narrowed my eyes at him and I could see a glint of _something_ in those calculating blue eyes of his. "Are you going?"

"Oh, yeah. Jean kind of told me about it and I'm pretty sure I'll be there." 

I tried to act like hearing Jean's name didn't bug the hell out of me as I only hummed in acknowledgement. Honestly, how a great guy like Marco was best friends with a jerk off like Jean I'll never understand. 

"So, uh, I'll see you there tonight right?" Marco asked, staring directly at me. 

"For sure." I said. 

"Great. I'll see you guys around then." 

Marco left and I was left with a grinning Armin who was starting to resemble something more similar to the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland now.

"Hey, look at you Mr. Top Model. Getting all the cutest guys in the building to ask you out." Armin teased. 

"Oh my god, shut up, Armin. It's not like that, you're making me sound like a player." 

"Well, you _do_ spend a lot of time around one of the biggest player's in New York City. Levi might just be rubbing off on you." 

"God, I hope not." I groaned. "I expected Reiner to ask for my number. I mean, Reiner is Reiner. He's always so straight forward and a go-getter but Marco too?"

"Yeah, you're right. Marco was a surprise, even to me. I never thought he would actually make a move since he's Jean's best friend and it's no secret you and Jean kind of hate each other." 

"That's what I'm saying." I whined, pushing my sandwich away no longer having an appetite. 

"Maybe that just means he really likes you, you know? He's willing to go against his best friend to get your number and now he obviously plans to do something tonight at the Club." 

"Ugh, and then Reiner too. How the hell does Levi do this? Juggling different lovers around all the time?" 

"From what I've heard, Levi has a strict set of rules for whoever he dates or sleeps with. Basically a no-strings-attached kind of thing." 

"Well, obviously. As his assistant I should know that better than anyone else." 

Armin chuckled, "Well, anyway. Speaking of the new issue release, how did your dad take the news that you were in the magazine?" 

"He was ridiculously ecstatic. I'm not even exaggerating. Mikasa scanned the photo onto her laptop and cropped Levi and the other model out, blew it up to the size of a small painting and hung it up in the living room." 

I could tell Armin was trying to stifle a laugh, he really was trying but it slipped out it a cute sort of snort and he eventually had to cover his mouth with a hand to hold in the giggles. I smirked and rolled my eyes, 

"Oh, sure. Laugh at my embarrassment, why don't you?" I joked. 

"I-I'm sorry," he said breathlessly. "Now I know I have to go to your place tonight and see that for myself. Want me to give you a ride?" he asked after the giggles subsided. 

"Fine, but I'm taking the picture down now that I know you're coming." I warned. 

"Aww, you're no fun." the blond pouted. 

Just then my cell phone went off. It was Levi calling and I immediately answered after the first ring knowing better than to make him wait if I didn't want another tongue lashing. Not that I particularly cared, but I'd much rather not piss him off today. 

"Yes, Levi. Right now? No, I can meet you up there in five minutes. Got it." I ended the call and pocket my phone before standing from my seat and gathering my trash. "Gotta go. Levi's lunch with Hanji is done and he's on his way back now. They want to go over the supplement project before the meeting with Rico." 

"Okay, well I'll be over at your place around 7:45pm. Good luck with the meeting." Armin said with a smile and a thumbs up. 

"Thanks, I'll need it." I called back before dumping my trash and dashing off toward the elevators.

\- ◆ -

Rico Brzenska was a lot of things, if not intimidating. In fact, intimidation seemed to be the keyword to describe this woman. Despite her petite frame, her cold expression was enough to render anyone a bit speechless. The atmosphere in the conference room was a bit tense, well, with the exception of Hanji who was bouncing excitedly in her seat as I prepared the projection monitor that was situated in the center of the round conference table. I also definitely didn't mess the lecherous stares some of the guys in her entourage were giving me every time I leaned across the table to fix something with the monitor.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity. I fixed the little error with the projection monitor and got our presentation up and running, glancing back at Levi and giving him a little nod for him to go ahead with our pitch. I quickly took my seat off to the side of him and was glad that my ass was finally out of view of the jerk offs who were still staring at me from across the room. Levi stood up and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. Rico gave him a jaded look. 

"On behalf of Recon magazine, let me just say that we're _thrilled_ to have you here." Levi purred, the bite of sarcasm in his tone just barely going unnoticed. Apparently there was some bad blood between Rico and my boss, something I didn't care to find out about. 

" _Really_?" Rico purred back, a hint of a smirk playing on her lips. "And here I thought you would play nicely with me, Ackerman." 

"This _is_ playing nicely, _Brzenska_." Scratch that. Levi was in full bitch mode now. 

I looked to Hanji for help but it was pointless considering she looked like she was going to explode with laughter at any minute. I was honestly starting to feel like the only one who was taking this meeting seriously anymore. Suddenly, Hanji sprung up from her seat like a jack in the box and startled half the room to death. 

"Now, now, children." she cooed. "Why don't we just let our very own Eren Jaeger take the spotlight, shall we?" Hanji motioned for me and my eyes went a little wide in surprise. Fuck, what? She wanted _me_ to give the presentation? 

Hanji was beaming from ear to ear and I swallowed thickly as I stood up from my seat, very unsure of what it was she wanted me to do exactly. Wasn't this supposed to be Levi's job as Editor-in-Chief? I glanced nervously at Levi who seemed much too busy with glaring daggers at Rico to care that Hanji had basically just given his job to me for the time being. 

I cleared my throat softly and inhaled through my nose deeply. Okay, Eren. This is your chance to prove yourself to everyone, including Levi. Right, okay. Well, here goes nothing. 

"Um, well, as you may already know, Brzenska Cosmetics is widely used among young teenage girls and women in the their early twenties but in recent years your demographic has shown that women who used to your products when you first launched your line ten years ago are now starting to get married and settle down to have families. So the concept we wanted to show you today was 'Mother's and Daughter's'." I motioned a hand toward the white screen as I started up the slide show. 

I let the pictures speak for themselves as the images appeared and disappeared on the screen, showing the stock pictures we had the photo editing department put together for us since a photo shoot was out of the question. We needed the green light first before we could actually move forward with the rest of the supplement project. I tried to gauge Rico's reaction to our presentation through the dark lighting in the room but it was useless considering she was about as expressive as Annie was which was not very expressive at all. 

As the presentation started coming to an end, I licked my dry lips and cleared my throat once more before continuing our pitch. 

"So you see, we were hoping to display a much more softer side to Brzenska Cosmetics." 

"and what makes you think this will appeal to my customers?" Rico asked suddenly. 

"Statistics of Brand loyalty show that more than 58% of your buyers are women in their mid to late 30's, and surveys show that most of those women who are mothers have daughters who are almost in their teens." 

"And you can do this in time for the January Issue? Am I correct?" 

"Of course, Ms. Brzenska. Did you want to approve the models and sets before hand?" I tried not to sound too hopeful, even though internally I was jumping with joy. 

"No." Rico said abruptly. "Am I also correct to assume that you'll be involved with the planning for this concept?" she asked, fixing me with her cold, icy stare. 

"Yes, ma'am. As Levi's assistant, I'm mostly in charge with getting a hold of the models, set pieces, photographers. Anything having to do with the supplement." 

"Then I'll leave everything in your hands. You seem to know what you're doing, unlike your poor excuse for a boss." the small woman stood from her seat and her entourage followed suit. I saw the way Levi was quietly seething from his spot at the head of the table and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop the smile that wanted to spread across my face. 

"So what did you think about our little Eren, Rico? Isn't he just something?" Hanji chirped as she bounded up to the smaller woman grinning manically. 

"He's certainly shows more promise than the useless waste of space sitting over there." the blonde woman tilted her head in the direction where Levi was still sitting. "It's just sad that he has to work for _that_ guy." 

"Tch." Levi clicked his tongue against his teeth loudly. "Are you just going to stand there and insult me all day, Brzenska?" 

"Perhaps, Ackerman. It's not exactly hard to do, you know?" Rico smirked and Levi scowled. "But," she added. "I do have more important things to do with my time, so I'll be on my way." 

I let the tiniest of smiles grow on my face as Rico and her entourage exited the conference room. I sighed in relief once the meeting was over, I somehow managed to survive and I was feeling pretty damn good about it. I joined Hanji and Levi by the doors of the conference after powering the projector down and Hanji beamed at me. 

"Good work up there, Eren! You managed to seal the deal for us!" she sang. 

"I have to say, kid. Even I'm a little impressed. Rico's got to be one of our hardest advertisers to please, yet you got her to approve your idea on the first try." Levi said scowling after the retreating figure of Rico Brzenska. 

"Squad Hanji was a success!" Hanji chimed. 

"Tch, more like 'Geek Squad'." Levi grumbled. 

"Well it sounds a lot better than 'Squad Shorty pants' doesn't it?" 

"Fuck you, shitty glasses." 

"Um, how about just Squad Levi?" I interjected their playful banter before it could carry on. 

"All in favor?" Levi raised his hand into the air, when he didn't see me raising mine he grabbed my wrist and thrust my hand into the air along with his. 

Hanji pouted, "That's no fair! You're not giving Eren a choice!" 

"Shut up, four eyes. Majority rules." 

Sometimes it's hard to believe that these two were both over the age of 30 and also my superiors. They could be so childish with each other more often than not and I'd come to enjoy their playfully immature bantering and bickering. 

"Uh, sorry to interrupt again but, Levi you have a 4:15 appointment with the Graphic's department." 

Levi nodded, "We'll finish this later, Goggles. Let's go, brat." 

I hurried after Levi as he exited the conference room, Hanji waving at the both of us as we went our separate ways after that. 

"By the way, Levi. There was memo sent out to everyone of Survey Corp about a gathering at Club Sina tonight to celebrate the success of our December Issue release."

"Tch, let me guess. Erwin?" 

"Uh, yes. I'm pretty sure he put it together." 

"Fucking Eyebrows. He just has to rub all his millions in everyone's faces." Levi sighed. "Whatever. So, I'm guessing everyone in the company is going to be at Club Sina tonight?" 

"Pretty much, yeah." 

"Ugh, I guess that means I have to be there." 

"Well, you were the cover model so it would only make sense. Did you want me to try and set up a private booth for you?" 

"Nah, knowing Erwin he probably already took care of all that shit. Fuck, I hate company parties. There's nothing more awkward than seeing your co-workers getting shit-faced and throwing up all over each other." 

I grimaced at the mental image Levi provided so vividly for me. 

"Um, wow, okay. I was thinking about going tonight but I think I've just changed my mind." 

Levi snorted in amusement. 

"Don't let me ruin your fun, kid. Besides, you have just as much right to be there as I do. Technically you're on the cover too." 

"You mean my lower face is on the cover and my lips are next to your ear." 

"You're also kind of half naked on my lap in the centerfold, so there's that." he chuckled darkly. 

"Please don't remind me. It's bad enough I think people are starting to recognize me as the model from the magazine." 

We stopped walking and I gave Levi a confused look as he turned around to face me, a hint of a smirk playing on his thin lips. Silver and Blue stared up at me glinting with mischief. 

"You're right. People might get the impression we're sleeping together if they found out about the photo shoot." He purred. Voice smooth like dark silk in my ears and I shuddered. 

"That's not funny." I whined with a pout.

Levi turned and started walking again, another quiet dark laugh leaving him. Clearly he was having too much fun teasing me with this photo shoot business and I wasn't sure how much more of it I could take. I didn't notice that I was starting to fall behind as I trailed after Levi slowly, getting a bit lost in my thoughts. 

"Keep up, Jaeger." Levi called, snapping me back to the present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is going to be oozing sexual tension~ I can't wait. e u e


	9. Lipgloss and Lollipops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“I think there is beauty in everything. What ‘normal’ people would perceive as ugly, I can usually see something of beauty in it.”_ — **Alexander McQueen**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOOM! Sexual tension up the ass! (heh) You're welcome. 
> 
> ***WARNING** If you're easily offended, I would suggest not clicking the links provided for the songs as they do have very explicit lyrics but well, this is an explicit fic so if you didn't already except it then too bad.
> 
> Otherwise, Enjoy~ (Dedicated to my Waifu [yoheichou](http://archiveofourown.org/users/yoheichou/profile) because you're a babe for suggesting so many perfect ideas for this chapter ♥)

Armin came by my place around 7:45 in the end just like he'd said and not a minute later. He insisted on coming inside to say 'Hi' to Mikasa and My dad, but in reality I knew he only wanted to come in to see if he could catch a glimpse of the blown up picture of me from the magazine. His not-so-innocent intentions were so easy to read in that fake innocent little smile of his. Note to self; Armin Arlert is probably an evil genius and will take over the world one day. 

"God, Eren. Are those skinny jeans _painted_ on?" Armin asked about my [outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=136355839) once we were already on our way to the club in his blue picanto. 

"I know, tell me about it. Believe it or not, these are Mikasa's. Don't ask me how she and I are the same size in jeans. We just are." I heard Armin snort loudly. 

"Can you even breath in those?" 

"They're actually not that uncomfortable if I'm being honest. She forced me to wears these though. As soon as I told her I was going to Club Sina tonight she went on a rampage through my closet saying something about needing to get laid." 

"Thomas came by again?" He asked with an apologetic smile. 

"Ugh, yes. He dumped _me_ and yet he tries coming around asking me if we can get back together and how sorry he is. I swear..." I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. 

"Mikasa's right. You need to get laid." Armin laughed. 

"Well... if I'm being honest I think I need to get laid too." I smirked. 

"And hey, you got two of the cutest guys at work after you and they're both going to be at the club tonight." 

I rolled my eyes, "Are you still going on about that? We both know Marco won't make a move if Jean's there." 

"True, but we both know Reiner isn't just going to sit around and not do anything. My guess is, by the end of the night you're going to end up going home with either Reiner or some random stranger and my bet is going on Reiner." 

"Wow, Ar. Really?" I said, giving him an incredulous look. 

"Oh, please, Eren. We're both grown men here. You're telling me you've never had a one night stand with a stranger in a club before?" 

"If I said no?" I asked with a laugh. 

"I'd say you're lying because even _I've_ had one night stands with strangers in clubs before." 

"Okay. Now _that_ I find hard to believe." 

"Rude, Eren." Armin could be so sassy sometimes. 

We arrived at the club in practically no time at all and the line to get in was, to say the least, ridiculous. I doubted all of these people could be from just Survey Corp, and I was proven right when after Armin and I parked his car practically two blocks away, we walked up to the ripped bouncer blocking the doorway while he was explaining to a drunk woman about how the place had been rented out and only people who showed proof they were Survey Corp employees could get in. She was pissed. 

Brushing off the death glares we got as we skipped the line and just walked right up to the bouncers altogether, Armin and I flashed our Survey Corp work I.D's and the bouncers immediately let us in. I think one of them even winked at me, which I was just going to pretend I didn't see because, wow. Awkward. 

The loud vibrations of the club music that was blasting from inside hit us as soon as we walked in through the double doors. It was only 8pm and the place was already so packed with a mass of bodies. The air was a bit stuffy due to all the heat from all these human bodies being cramped into one space but compared to some other clubs I'd been to in the past, it wasn't nearly as suffocating and there was still plenty of room to move around freely without getting a drink spilled on you. 

Armin took the lead, weirdly enough, and I simply followed letting my eyes take in all that I could under the colorful florescent lighting of the club. It certainly lived up to it's high class reputation, Club Sina was certainly not the hole in the wall clubs I was used to. From the expensive, red leather booths to the mirrored ceilings. Everything about Club Sina screamed Posh and Style. It was no wonder it was one of the hardest clubs to get into and one of the most popular. 

I saw several familiar faces from work, none I knew personally but faces I had seen rushing past me in the lobby or making deliveries on our floor. It seemed like practically everyone at Survey Corp was here but that would be impossible. Armin led us to a section of the club towards the back near the dance floor that was very poorly lit but I guessed that was done on purpose. 

I immediately saw a familiar head of neatly groomed blond hair and a pair of calculating blue eyes that always ensnared me. Erwin Smith was sitting in a large round booth with a few other familiar faces, a glass of what I assumed was Scotch in his hand with a single chunk of ice in it, his suit was different from the usual attire I was used to seeing him with. He was missing his fancy silk ties he always wore at the office and the top two buttons of his [royal blue dress shirt](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=136355886) were left open giving everyone a little glimpse of his collar bones and boy were they nice. 

I really only recognized two of the other people who were sitting with him, which were Hanji and Mike Zacharius. It made sense that they would invite Mike to the celebration, he was the one who made our magazine cover possible after all. I didn't, however, recognize the dark haired man sitting right next to Erwin. He had messy black hair that was shaved in a rather strange style of undercut, some facial hair on upper lip and chin. It looked like he couldn't decide whether he wanted a beard or not so he settled for a mixture of both. He had dark, beady eyes and a deep frown on his aged face and I wondered just what his connection to Erwin Smith was. The two were complete opposites in appearance. 

"Armin, Eren. You were able to make it." Erwin was the first to greet us as we approached. A warm smile on his clean-shaven face. 

"Eren!" Hanji squeaked, bouncing excitedly in her seat. 

"Good evening, everyone." Armin greeted politely. 

"Nice to see you again, Eren." Mike said with a small smirk and a nod of his head. 

"Hello Hanji, Mr. Zacharius." I greeted back sheepishly. 

"Please, just call me Mike." he waved off with a hand. 

"Look at you, Mr. Tall, Tan and handsome! Eren, you look fantastic!" Hanji sang with a wide grin. 

"Indeed." Erwin's deep baritone added and I felt my cheeks go hot. 

"Um, Thank you. You all look very nice yourselves." I replied lamely. 

Suddenly, I felt a strong set of hands on my shoulders and I startled slightly. 

"Hey, gorgeous." I heard Reiner's voice purr next to my ear, and fuck, talk about great timing. 

Now I had my boss's hot boss who I might wanna bang in front of me and my huge, fat office crush behind me. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. Erwin only cocked an interested brow at the cheesy pet name Reiner chose to call me and I smiled awkwardly turning around to greet the big blond. 

"God, Reiner. You nearly gave me a heart attack." 

"Sorry." He laughed. He didn't sound the least bit apologetic. "Hey, Sasha and the others are sitting over there and we still got room for more." finally, Reiner seemed to notice we weren't alone. 

He peeked over my shoulder and probably only just noticed our group of superiors all sitting together at the round booth. He showed off a toothy grin and then I felt one of his strong arms wrap around my waist possessively, 

"Hey there Miss Hanji, Smith." Erwin and Hanji only nodded in acknowledgement. "Hope you don't mind if I steal these two away?" he asked still grinning. 

"By all means." Erwin said with a polite smile and a nod. "Enjoy your night, Eren." Erwin almost purred. The blaring music almost drowning out his slightly suggestive tone. 

Fuck. How is it possible to want to bang two guys at the same time? I wasn't sure who I was more attracted to at the moment. Reiner, my hot co-worker who I'm sure could show me a good time or Erwin, my boss' hot boss who I'm sure could show me an even better time. The only difference between the two was Erwin was probably way out of my league. Still, it didn't stop me from wishing those suggestive looks and lingering touches actually meant Erwin might be interested in me. A guy could dream right? 

Armin and I said a quick goodbye to our superiors before Reiner whisked us both away to a large booth where Sasha, Connie, Bert and Annie all sat waiting for us. Reiner kept a firm hold on my waist until we got to the table and then he finally released me. I slid into the red leather booth after Armin and Reiner slid in after me. The booth wasn't as big or as spacious as the one Erwin and Hanji were sharing, so we were all kind of smashed closely together. I think I had one thigh in Armin's lap and the other on Reiner's.

The music in the club was vibrating through my chest as they played some annoying remix of Blurred Lines. God, I swear I liked that song so much better when it wasn't playing on the radio every two minutes. 

"What's your poison, Jaeger?" Reiner asked, half yelling. I realized he was asking me what I wanted to drink and fuck, after that little encounter with Erwin I was pretty sure I was going to need a drink. 

"A shot of Bacardi would be great." I laughed. 

Reiner smirked before he was asking the other at the table what they wanted to drink since apparently he was going to be making a trip to the bar. Then he was sliding out of the boot giving me a little more breathing room now that I wasn't practically sitting in his lap and I started relaxing a bit. 

"Eren, who put your outfit together?" Shasha yelled from across the table. Well, shit I couldn't really lie to Sasha. 

"My sister kind of did." I said sheepishly. 

"Oh! She has really good tastes! You should have bring her next time we get together!" 

"Yeah, maybe."

"Sasha, stop eating all the olives!" Connie chided as he took a bowl of olives away from Sasha. 

"But honey bun, I'm starving!" Sasha whined. 

"You ate Three Big Macs from McDonalds before we came here!" 

"That was over an hour ago! How do you expect me to stay full with only three big macs!?" 

Reiner returned shortly after Connie and Sasha's little bantering session and soon a server came by with all of our desired drinks on a tray. To my surprise, not only did Reiner order me my shot of Bacardi, but he also ordered me a dirty martini. 

"I figured you'd need something to last you a little longer than just a shot of Bacardi." He purred, putting an arm around my shoulders. 

I smiled and let myself lean into his side as I threw back the shot of Bacardi first. It burned down my throat like no other feeling in the world but it helped in loosening me up a bit since I had obviously been feeling a bit stiff since Armin and I got here. Then I was just casually sipping my martini while Reiner took long sips from his Budweiser bottle. 

"Okay, okay! But in all seriousness... if you had a little sister or a brother and you needed to introduce them to one of us at this table, who would it be?" Connie asked, looking at each of us. 

Reiner piped up first, "Armin, obviously. He'd be like the perfect son-in-law for anyone." he teased. 

"No way." I chimed in. "Armin may look innocent but he's an evil genius." Armin shoved me playfully in the arm and I barked out a laugh.

"What about you Armin?" Reiner asked. "Which one of us would you introduce to your younger brother or sister if you had one?" 

Armin pretended to think on it as he hummed and tapped his index finger to his chin adorably. I knew better though, underneath that cute exterior was an evil little mad genius. 

"Well, I _would_ have picked Eren but since he decided to be a jerk I pick Bertholdt." Armin giggled. 

"Aw, what!" I smiled. "Man, that's no fair picking Bert. He's like the sweetest guy ever." 

"Nuh-uh. What about Marco? He's like Jesus incarnate." Connie joked and we all laughed.

Before I knew it, my first Martini was gone and Reiner was off getting me another one. By now, I was feeling just slightly buzzed and a lot less tense but I was not about to start jumping on table tops and twerking. That was for when I was truly shit faced. Suddenly, one of the servers came by with a single Manhattan and she handed it to me with a little smile. 

"This is from the gentleman at the bar." she said pointing out a guy who was leaning against the bar top wearing a velvet blue smoker's jacket. He had brown hair that was slicked back neatly and a soul patch that I found rather attractive. 

He smiled and raised his own drink to me in a polite gesture and I smiled back shyly. Holy shit. Since when did guys start buying me drinks in bars? Okay, well there was that one guy at Maria's not too long but that's besides the point. I felt a sharp elbow in my side and turned back to see Armin and the others all giving me knowing looks and smirks, even Annie was smirking which was so unlike her. 

"Oooooh~!" Sasha and Connie sang like 5 year old's. 

"S-Shut up." I smiled. 

And then another server came by, this time male. He also smiled at me as he placed a Margarita in front of me. This time, it was from a guy sitting alone at a single table. He was also quite attractive, with long blond hair and he smiled at me when he was pointed out by the server. Like before, I smiled back politely and accepted the drink and set it aside with the Manhattan I had gotten from the other guy. As flattering as the gestures were, I wasn't about to start downing all these drinks. 

"So what did I miss?" Reiner as when he finally came back with a fresh beer in his hand and another shot of Bacardi for me. 

"Nothing." I said as I threw the jigger of alcohol back, relishing in that smooth burn. 

"Yeah, right. Looks like you've got competition, Reiner. Two dudes just bought Eren drinks in the five minutes you were gone." Connie pointed at the untouched Manhattan and Margarita on the table and Reiner cocked a brow at me. 

Luckily, and I do say luckily, there was a sudden commotion at the entrance of the club and everyone's attention, including Reiner's, went to the small crowd gathering by the front doors. I should have guessed, only one person could possibly make such a commotion such as this. 

Levi appeared as he swiftly maneuvered his way through the crowd [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=136355955) his Versace sunglasses perched low on the bridge of his nose, a simple white v-neck t-shirt with a wool blazer with leather sleeves. Leave it to Levi Ackerman to make such a simple outfit look incredibly posh. As he got closer toward our table, my mouth so of hung open as I took in the very snug leather pants he was wearing. 

Oh my fucking god. He was actually wearing leather pants to a night club. I thought shit like that only happened in movies but no, here comes my boss wearing ass hugging leather pants looking like he just walked out of some weird porno and oh god, no I should _not_ be finding his ass nice in the least. Stop it, Eren. Stop it right now. You're only thinking like this because you're kind of buzzed from the alcohol and you might be a little horny, yeah, that's exactly it. Shit, Levi saw me. Now he was making his way over toward our table and I sucked in a sharp breath as he approached. 

"Oi, brats. Where's Erwin and that nut case, Hanji?" he asked, removing the sunglasses from his nose and tucking them into the pocket inside of his blazer. 

Everyone else seemed a little distracted by Levi's choice in clothing as well, as no one answered him for a few seconds at first, too busy staring at his leather pants and wow, was he wearing cologne? Shit. 

"Um, he's sitting in one of the booths in the back with Mr. Zacharius and Nile Dok." Armin finally answered. 

Levi only gave a curt nod before he was turning around to walk away but then he stopped and turned back, piercing silver and blue orbs landing on me and I gulped so loudly I was afraid anyone within a 10 foot radius could hear it. 

"Eren." he called and I looked up at him. He hesitated to say whatever it is he wanted to say, his eyes shifting from my face to the arm Reiner had draped around my shoulders. "Forget it. Just be careful." he mumbled. 

I felt Reiner's arm slip from my shoulders down to my waist and he pulled me into his side possessively while smirking up at Levi who in turn looked like he was scowling at the blond if I didn't know any better. 

"Don't worry, Boss. He's in _good_ hands." Reiner purred. If the look in Levi's eyes could kill, I'm sure Reiner would have been dead seconds ago. He looked beyond pissed and I couldn't understand why. 

Without another word Levi left toward the back, to find Erwin I guessed, and Reiner's hold on me loosened. I felt like I was missing something but I couldn't figure out what the hell it was. Either way, I tried to shrug off Levi's strange behavior as nothing and went about sipping on the new Martini Reiner had gotten for me. 

Another Martini downed and a third shot of Bacardi later and I was definitely starting to feel the effects of the alcohol setting in. I was dancing in my seat when a Ke$ha song came on, Sasha and I singing the words to each other. 

Finally, Reiner was pulling me up from my seat and out onto the dance floor. I was too high on my own buzz to protest, in fact I was probably grinning like an idiot as he guided me into the mass of grinding bodies on the open dance floor. 

"You promised me a dance, Jaeger." Reiner purred, giving me a cocky grin.

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDtYkOrV4-E) I could hear a new song starting up as we got on the floor and I decided, what the hell, I was here to have a good time and I was tipsy enough to dance anyway. Plus Reiner was really looking fucking hot in that [red button up](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?id=117459724) and white t-shirt. His forearms were fucking built and I could see the veins in his arms protruding out. 

"♩ I know you want me, I made it obvious that I want you too ♩"

Reiner pressed his chest to my back and I could feel his hands already on my hips as he started up a slow rocking motion. I let him guide me for the first few versus but then I started swaying my hips a bit from side to side, in a circular motion and I could feel myself grinning from ear to ear as I placed my hands over Reiner's still firmly gripping my hips.

"♩ Now rock your body, ooh, Damn I like the way that you move ♩"

As the song started reaching it's chorus, the beat started to pick up a bit as I guided Reiner's hands further down my hips toward my thighs and I heard him groan softly behind me. His hot breath ticking the skin of my neck as we continued to rock our bodies together in motion, arching my back so that my ass pressed into his hips. 

"♩ Please excuse me, I don't mean to be rude but tonight I'm fuckin' you ♩"

Reiner's hands started roaming all over me as the song raged on. I could feel the light sheen of sweat start to form on my body as the heat of all the other bodies grinding together on the dance floor started to build. The flashing lights and vibrating bass in my chest only raising my confidence as I reached my hands behind me to wrap around Reiner's thick neck as I continued to grind my ass up against his dick. 

"♩ You're so damn pretty, if I had a type than baby it would be you ♩"

I couldn't help but giggle as I heard another frustrated groan leave Reiner's lips as he gripped my hips more firmly, digging his fingertips harshly into the fabric of my jeans. I shamelessly rutted my ass back against his dick a little more roughly than before and I could feel him getting harder against me the longer I ground against him. I cocked my head to the side and caught a glimpse of familiar calculating blue eyes watching me intensely from the darkly lit booths in the back. 

"♩ Oh, you know, that tonight I'm fuckin' you, yeah tonight I'm fuckin' you ♩"

Did it bother me to know that Erwin Smith, the owner of Survey Corp Publications and also kind of my boss, was watching me as I shamelessly dry humped my hot co-worker to a pretty provocative song? Not as much as it would have had I been more sober. Reiner's hands were getting a bit bold as he let one of them snake behind me and grope my ass harshly making me gasp a little in surprise. 

I bit my lip as I felt Reiner's dick press firmly into the cleft of my ass and I had to use all of my will power not to moan like some kind of slut because I was really horny and kind of buzzed and I needed to get laid pretty soon or else I think I'd end up jumping the bones of the next guy that bought me a drink. I was boarder line desperate and determined as fuck to get lad tonight and by the looks of it, Reiner was going to be the one taking me home tonight.

The song was over before I even realized it. Reiner and I were still a bit lost in each other to break away until some of the ground that had been on the dance floor started to spread out a bit more, most heading to the bar to get refreshments and I licked my lips as I turned to look at Reiner who had a hungry look in his golden eyes sending little sparks straight to my dick because fuck, he looked like he would devour me at any second now and somewhere in my hazy thoughts I hoped he would. 

"I need a drink." I finally said, breathless and smiling. 

Reiner smirked, "Come on then." 

He led me toward the bar and the lingering stares and suggestive looks I got as we made our way through the crowd of bodies didn't go unnoticed by me. I felt like I was the prey left in a cage of ravenous wild beasts, the way people were looking at me as I waited for the bartender to get me a shot of tequila. I was pretty sure I drank enough Martini's and Bacardi for one night. 

"Hi." a familiar voice said from behind me as I waited for my drink. 

I turned around and was met with a familiar freckled face and warm brown eyes. Marco smiled shyly as he awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck. I caught myself smiling before I even registered the horse glaring daggers at me from the other end of the bar. Jean looked like a jealous girlfriend, sending death glares from across the bar as I greeted Marco back cheerfully. 

"Hey. I was starting to think you weren't coming." I said.

"Ah, yeah. Well, you know Jean. He'd rather be fashionably late than on time." Marco joked. 

"Oh, you came with Jean?" I was slightly surprised and yet I should have expected it. They were 'best friends' or whatever. 

"Yeah, well we kind of share an apartment together so it just makes it easier if we come to things like this together." he said nervously. 

"Oh..." I trailed off. Well, that was a surprise. I knew they were close but not _that_ close. 

"Marco." Jean interjected before our conversation could continued. "Let's go find somewhere to sit. I want to find Levi." 

"Oh, um. Okay, well I guess I'll see you later then?" Marco asked hopefully. 

"Uh, yeah, sure." I swallowed the painful lump in my throat. 

Why did it bother me so much if Marco and Jean shared an apartment? People did that in the city all the time. Reiner, Bert and Annie shared an apartment. I wasn't getting all butt hurt over that. I guess it was just the fact that Jean and Marco has a closer relationship than I thought they did, and with Jean always hovering around Marco my chances with him were even slimmer than I originally thought. 

The bartender placed the jigger of liquid fire in front of me and I threw it back in a heart beat, suddenly feeling more frustrated than I'd ever admit. I ordered two more shots of tequila while Reiner had gone to do something and when he came back, I was already leading him back to the dance floor needing to work my frustrations off. 

We bumped and ground against each other some more, creating even more sexual tension between us as the tequila blurred any sober thoughts I had left. I didn't give a shit who was watching as I smashed my lips against Reiner's and we started having a heated make-out session in the center of the dance floor to some shitty rap song I didn't care to remember the name of. At least Reiner was a good kisser. 

Two songs in and Reiner had left me alone on the dance floor while he went to the men's room. I didn't really mind, honestly. I was a little too lost in my own drunken haze to care if I was dancing alone or with some stranger. When a familiar beat started playing, I couldn't help but laugh because anyone who had a myspace in 2008 would know this song from anywhere. Even if it was kind of a lame remix of the original song.

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vBGEAhy0-o) I let myself get lost in the intoxicating beat of Jeffree Star's Lollipop Luxury. I started slowly snapping my hips from side to side as I followed the snapping of the intro. I rolled my head to the side as I loosened the tie around my neck, my eyes searched the darkness of those dark back booths for familiar blue eyes and when I finally found them already staring at me from a distance, I shamelessly smiled and bit my lip as the first verse of the song started. 

"♩ I'm on the top , there's no luck. Never turned around to stop. Make my move, make you move... Make you wanna hear me talk, see me walk, see me fuck, see me suck a lollipop. Wanna get messy? ♩"

"♩ I'll make you hot, make you rock. I'll leave the world in shock. I'ma tease, I'm your fuel. I just wanna see you drool, on your knees, pretty please... ♩"

Getting lost in the beat of the song from my embarrassing myspace days, I ran a hand through my hair pushing it back messily as I locked my gaze with Erwin's. He was watching my every move and I felt small under his intense gaze but being the determined little shit that I was, I was going to show him why I wasn't about to just shrink under his stare. 

"♩ L-L-Like luxury... Fuck me - I'm a celebrity. Can't take your eyes off me. I make you wanna fuck me just to get somewhere ♩"

"♩ Fuck me - I'm a celebrity. Can't take your hands off me. I know you wanna suck me, what you waiting for? ♩"

I sensually let my hands trail slowly down my body, from my bare neck to my chest and eventually my naval where I stopped, splaying my fingers apart just before I got to the zipper of my tight jeans smirking as I teased anyone watching. From a distance I could hear Connie and Sasha catcalling me and goading me on. I rolled my hips forward with my hand still splayed over my dick, eyes half-lidded as I saw the tiniest of smirks on Erwin's face in the darkness.

"♩ Mmm hot damn, here I come. Tell me how you want it done... At the mall, in the hall, on your mommas bedroom wall. You can choose, either way you will end up on the news. ♩"

_"Do I make you wet?"_ I mouthed before licking my lips slowly. I then let my other hand reach behind me as I grabbed my own ass and arched my back into my own touch. _"You wish you had a slice of me."_

I was acting like a first class slut and I did not give a single shit. I was drunk, horny and kind of frustrated and fuck, how could I not act kind of slutty when Erwin has practically been undressing me with his eyes all night? I may not have been as experienced with this sort of thing like Levi was but I wasn't stupid. I could tell when someone was flirting with me and Erwin has been flirting since day one. 

It was probably not the smartest idea to be openly teasing a powerful man like Erwin Smith in public, but as I said before; I'm kind of drunk, kinda horny and kinda dying to get laid. I also didn't have a doubt in my mind that I was currently dancing like a paid stripper, all I needed was dollar bills to come raining from the fucking sky and I'd be set to go.

Then, the part with Nicki Minaj came on and I smirked knowing the words to her part all too well. I was going to own that shit. With a new confidence boost, I popped the top two buttons of my shirt open and bit my lower lip again as I rocked my hips in a suggestive manner. _"I can make all of the boys come to my yard."_ I mouthed as I curled my index finger as if beckoning Erwin to me with a 'Come hither' look in my eyes. _"I can show you how to do it. Make-make a lollipop squirt-squirt a lot of fluid."_

I knew that I was getting a lot more attention from other people on the dance floor, more than I really wanted but I was too tipsy to care who was watching me anymore. I even completely forgot Levi was here in the first place and probably sitting at Erwin's table watching all of this. Had I been a little more sober, I probably would have been mortified but since I wasn't, I continued to mouth the words to the song while shamelessly touching my body. _"I'm really hot, really pretty... I'm into licking lollipops 'til they're sticky."_

"♩ Lipgloss & lollipop - Lets rock, I wanna pop. Cant take your eyes off me. I'm all that you can see. ♩"

"♩ Lipgloss & lollipop - I'll make your booty drop. Cant take your eyes off me. I'm everything you wanna be. ♩"

When the song came to an end, I was left a hot, sweaty mess and I needed to seriously get the hell out of here before I did something really stupid. I walked off the dance floor as casually as I could, breaking eye contact with those pale blues as I turned to leave. I eyed the table where Armin and the others were still sitting, Sasha a little more than buzzed and Connie trying to keep her sitting upright. Annie was still sipping on a Bourbon and Bert shyly looked away from me when I approached. 

"You guys seen Reiner?" I asked once I was close enough not to have to yell over the blasting music. 

"Right here, gorgeous." I heard Reiner say from behind me. 

I quickly turned around and saw Reiner smirking at me and before I could even stop myself I blurted out, 

"You wanna get out of here?" 

Reiner looked mildly surprised before he eventually just nodded and turned to look at the rest of our group. 

"See you losers later." he winked, before turning back to me and putting one of his large hands against the small of my back as he started leading me toward the crowded entrance.

I glanced back to see a grinning Armin and I only rolled my eyes before giving him and the others a small wave and then I let Reiner whisk me away.

As we braced the crowd, Reiner was a perfect gentleman as he wrapped a protective arm around my waist and shouldered through the stubborn patrons who didn't want to move out of the way, sparing me of having to be pushed and shoved around considering unlike him I _wasn't_ built like an ox.

I caught of glimpse of Marco and Jean on our way out. They were coming from the Men's room and Marco looked at me with a mixture of disappointment and regret. For what? I haven't a fucking clue. I was more focused on getting the big blond that was ushering me out the door alone and hopefully naked and on top of me. Before we left the building altogether, I'm not sure what possessed me to look back but I did and the only thing I remember seeing before I was hit with cold December air was piercing silver and blue. 

Once outside of the club, the rush of cold air that hit me immediately had my head spinning from all the alcohol and I regretted those three tequila shots immediately. Thankfully, the wave of nausea I felt passed just as quickly as it came and I was able to make to to Reiner's Durango without puking my guts out. The ride back to his place was filled with short awkward silences. I could tell he was just as eager to get me naked and on my back as I was to get him naked and on top of me. 

We were acting like a couple of horny teenagers. Making out in his car from the time he parked in front of his place, as we walked up the stairs, pressed up against the front door of his apartment as he tried and failed several times to get the key into the lock and then, not even two steps into his place once he did get the door open and he was tackling me to the ground and attacking my neck with feverish kisses. 

"Fuck... Reiner..." I panted out as I felt his teeth scrape across the soft underside of my jaw. 

I started working the buttons of his red shirt open before shoving it off his shoulders letting it hang off his forearms as he continued to attack my neck and collar bones. He had removed my tie somewhere along the way and my shirt was half open. I snaked my own hands underneath the hem of his white t-shirt and felt the hard pack of muscle on his abdominal, I mentally counted in my head, 2, 4, 6, oh fuck he had an 8 pack. Jesus take the wheel. I felt the ripple of his toned muscles as the shifted along with his body, his clothed erection grinding hard against mine and I threw my head back in a lustful moan loving the friction he was providing. 

"Shit, Eren..." Reiner groaned into my throat as he rolled his hips against mine. "I'm so close to just fucking you right here in the doorway." 

"I-Idiot... bedroom... before Bert and Annie come back." I managed between ragged breaths. 

"Needy, aren't we?" Reiner purred, nipping at the gap between my collar bones. 

"Like you don't want a piece of this ass." I hissed. 

"I don't want just a piece, I want it _all_." 

Suddenly my world was being spun around as Reiner fumbled to his feet and lifted me up bridal style in his strong arms. I squeaked in surprise and wrapped my arms around his neck fearing of being dropped considering Reiner had a few beers and wasn't exactly drunk but wasn't exactly sober either. 

"You ass!" I cursed, hitting his strong shoulder halfheartedly. 

Reiner only chuckled as he captured my lips in another hungry kiss silencing any complaints I may or may not have had before he carried me into his bedroom and kicked the door shut behind us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi in leather pants, FUCK YES. Again, you're welcome. 
> 
> Do you guys hate me for ending it there? Well, too bad. I'm saving the raunchy smut for another day. But hey, at least you got plenty of Eren being a sexy little tease and some hot dancing. (And some barely there Jealous!Levi)


	10. Caffe Latte & Black Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”_ — **Coco Chanel**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Squad Levi is now complete! Finally introducing Gunther, Erd, and Auruo. Petra makes an appearance again!
> 
> There's a switching of POV's in the middle of this chapter, so just a warning ahead of time. I don't really like switching POV's in one chapter like this but well, I had my reasons.
> 
> Please ignore any typos or mistakes. My works are unbeta'd and I proof read them as best as I can myself but it's 1AM and I'm a sleepy trash bag c':

I woke up the next morning with a dull throb in my head and an ache in my back. The first tell-tale sign that I had actually gotten laid last night. The second sign that I got laid last night, was the foreign bed I was currently sleeping in and the obviously foreign room I woke up in. Okay, maybe not so foreign. I clearly remember staring at that ceiling while I was on my back last night moaning like a wanton whore. 

My shrill ringing of my phone is what originally woke me up, and I rolled over with a groan, blindly fumbling over the edge of the large bed as I felt around for my pants where I knew I had left my phone in the back pocket. Don't ask me how, but I somehow managed to reach my crumpled jeans on the floor near the foot of the bed before I felt strong arms wrap around my waist pulling me back onto the bed and straight into Reiner's massive chest. 

I blinked through my mess of bangs that were slightly obscuring my vision and I was met with the sinful sight of Reiner's morning face. His short, spiky blond hair looked adorable flattened on one side of his face while the other side was sticking up in every direction. He cracked one of his golden eyes open to look at me and he managed a crooked half-grin.

"Mornin', Beautiful." he croaked out in a sleepy tone sending jolts of arousal straight to my half-hard dick. For a second, I forgot my phone was ringing altogether and I was ready for round three. 

"You gonna answer that or am I gonna have to chuck it out the window?" he asked, flopping over onto his back and bringing me with him so that I was laying on top of him. "I was a football player in high school, pretty sure I could probably throw it a good distance if I had to." 

I sighed, narrowing my eyes at the contact name that illuminated my screen. The morning sun that came pouring into Reiner's bedroom was enough to hurt my eyes but the LCD screen nearly blinded me. 'Short Satan' was calling; meaning Levi. I looked at the time on the top right corner of my screen and groaned loudly again. It was only 8am. Why the hell was Levi calling me early on a fucking Saturday? 

I slid my thumb across the screen and took a breath before answering the phone, trying to sound as awake and alert as I could and not like I just woke up from a night of sex with a slight hangover. 

"Yes, Levi?" I answered. 

Suddenly, Reiner was flipping us over again, pinning me down against the mattress with his weight and I gasped making an embarrassingly loud noise while holding the phone against my ear. Reiner's lips started trailing all over my naked torso, leaving hot, lingering kisses to my collar bones and nipples. 

_"What the fuck was that? Brat? Are you there?"_ I heard Levi's voice on the other end calling. _"Eren? Answer me, damn it."_

I fumbled to keep the phone from falling out of my hands as Reiner latched onto one of my nipples and started biting and sucking on it harshly. I clenched my eyes shut and bit my lip trying to swallow a moan before I answered Levi. 

"I-I'm here! Just--just dropped my... phone." I lied lamely. I glared at Reiner who was chuckling darkly as he continued to kiss his way down my stomach, tickling the skin with his tongue the lower he descended below the sheets. 

_"Tch. I need you to come into the office. You _are_ home aren't you?"_ he asked suspiciously. 

"W-What?" I stuttered. Suddenly I felt Reiner's lips on my cock and I sucked in a small breath, hoping Levi didn't hear it as I tried not to outright moan directly into the phone's receiver. 

_"Don't make me repeat myself, Eren. You know how much I hate that shit. What the fuck are you doing anyway? You sound distracted."_

I felt Reiner dip a finger into my ass as he sucked me off and before I could stop it, I gasped before moaning loudly into the phone; completely unrestrained and clear as day. I slapped a hand over my mouth, eyes wide with panic and I realized, that had definitely just happened. I just moaned while on a phone call with my boss of all people. 

_"... Eren."_ I heard Levi give a low growl of my name on the other end and I quickly tried to save myself from further embarrassment. 

"I-I'll be there as soon as I - _ahh_ \- can, Levi. Bye!" and without even waiting for a reply, I ended the call and tossed my phone across to the other side of the bed like it had physically burned me. 

I arched my back, grabbing fistful of sheets in my hands as I moaned again and bucked up weakly into Reiner's mouth while his thick finger slid in and out of my slick asshole. 

"Uhn, fuck...!" I cursed as I bit my lower lip and came straight into Reiner's mouth. The finger that was teasing me disappeared and I felt him start to stroke me at the base of my cock while he hallowed his cheeks and sucked on the crown, milking me through another orgasm. 

I fell limp against the sheets, breathing heavily and staring up at the white ceiling in a daze. The high of my orgasm fading slowly, leaving me slightly light-headed and dizzy and I blinked to refocus my vision. 

Reiner popped out from the sheets a moment later, wiping the sides of his mouth with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. I tried to frown at him, but it was hard to do when my heart was still pounding like crazy in my chest with the aftershocks of my orgasm as my body recovered. 

"You're such a dick, Reiner." I said with no real heat in my words as I slung an arm over my eyes and sighed. 

I heard him chuckle, "I think you mean, you _want_ my dick." he said as he crawled over to lay beside me, placing lazy kisses to my neck and the underside of my jaw. 

"As _tempting_ as that sounds, I can't. Levi wants me to come into work today and because of you deciding to suck me off at such a good time, I just embarrassed myself over the phone with my boss." I groaned. 

"Wait, what? Levi wants you to come into work on a Saturday? Are you kidding me right now?" 

I shook my head from side to side as an answer to Reiner's question and I heard him sigh. 

"Man, that midget really knows how to Dictate someone's life. Working on a Saturday, is he Satan?" 

"Yes." I quipped. "Ugh, there's no point in me moping about it. I'm better off just getting today over with. Can I use your shower? I don't want to smell like alcohol, cigarette smoke and sex when I go into work. Levi would kill me." 

"Yeah." Reiner sighed. "Bathroom's down the hall, first door on the right." 

"Think I could borrow a shirt or something from you? If I go into the office wearing the same clothes as yesterday I'm pretty sure Levi will have a shit fit." 

"I doubt any of my shirts will fit you, but I'll check and see if I have something." 

I grabbed my jeans and underwear that were still haphazardly thrown around Reiner's floor and slipped on the underwear quickly. Reiner slapped my ass and I yelped in surprise. I only shot him a glare before I sauntered toward the bathroom to take a well deserved shower. 

I washed away all the sweat from last night (and this morning) and scrubbed my hair with the strawberry and cream scented shampoo Annie had. It was weird using somebody else's shower and shampoo but I found that I could get used to doing this if Reiner and I actually became a thing. He was fun to be around, easy to get along with. He was definitely boyfriend material. So why did I feel like something was missing? 

I rinsed off with warm water and stepped out of the shower drying myself off quickly and as thoroughly as I could. Levi didn't specify exactly what time he wanted me at the office, but I've worked for him long enough to know that he liked people to be snappy and quick. Not that I was in any particular rush to go and see my boss after that embarrassing thing with the phone call happened. God, that was so embarrassing. I don't think I'll be able to look Levi in the eye for a few days. 

I glanced at myself in the misted mirror and saw the marks Reiner had littered my body with from last night. There were very visible bruises on my hips where I'm sure was from Reiner gripping them so tightly last night and a few blossoming hickeys on my neck, chest and collar bones. I felt like I vaguely resembled something similar to a cheetah but shrugged it off as I continued to towel myself dry.

After slipping on my underwear and jeans, I slung the used towel around my neck and padded back toward Reiner's bedroom. I could smell Coffee coming from the kitchen and wondered if Reiner had made it or if Annie or Bertholdt were already awake. 

Upon re-entering the bedroom, Reiner was already dressed in blue jeans and a tight t-shirt. His bed head nowhere in sight, despite how adorable it was. He looked up and saw me standing in the doorway checking him out and he did the same to me, smirking as he did. 

"I should take a picture of you like that. Is it possible for anyone to look anymore gorgeous dripping wet after a shower?" he purred, taking a few steps toward me and placing his hands on my waist. 

He leaned down and placed his lips against mine softly and I let my eyes flutter closed as we kissed slowly and unhurriedly, nipping at each other's lips every so often until I had to put a stop to our little make-out session. 

"I have to go." I reminded him with a small smile and he groaned. 

"Can't you just call in sick or something? It's the weekend for crying out loud." Reiner mumbled as he walked back over to the foot of the bed and grabbed something. 

He tossed me a white and red varsity bomber jacket with his initials stitched onto the side arm patch. I caught it with ease and slipped the warm material on over my bare torso. It smelled of Reiner's musk. 

"That's the smallest thing I have. It's my old bomber from highschool. It doesn't fit me anymore but it looks like it fits you pretty well." he grinned. 

I zipped the front closed and then snapped the buttons together, relishing in the warmth in brought me but noticing how the sleeves still fit me a bit long. I smiled back at him and shuffled to slip on my boots from last night, folding the flaps down for a more casual look. I figured I didn't need to look too dressed up for work today anyway. The last time I worked on a saturday, the building was empty with the exception of Levi and a small handful of other Survey Corp employees. Mostly the janitors. 

"I'll give it back to you on Monday." I said. 

Reiner only waved me off, "Don't sweat it. You want a lift? The office is like a 10 minute drive from here." 

"Do you mind?" I asked with an apologetic smile. 

"Nah. Come on. I think Annie and Bert are already up anyway." 

Sure enough, when Reiner and I came into the kitchen Annie was sitting on their plush brown couch with a huge mug of coffee in her hands making her look even smaller than she already was. I smiled and gave her a brief hug from behind the sofa and I could see the smallest of smiles behind the rim of her cup as she took a sip. Bert was making breakfast I guess and I shot him a small wave and a smile as well to which he returned with a wave and an awkward smile of his own. 

"I'm gonna give Eren a lift to the office. Save me a plate would you Bert?" Reiner called as he started for the door of their shared apartment. 

"Why the office?" Annie asked softly from the couch. 

"Levi called and asked me to come in. Don't ask me why, I'm as clueless as you are." I said with a sigh. 

Annie only nodded with understanding before returning her attention to the flat screen t.v that was currently showing an MMA match from last night and I wished I could stay behind and watch it with her in the back of my mind. Shaking off those thoughts, I quickly followed after Reiner and we made our way down the stairs of his complex bracing the chilly morning air. Reiner only threw on a light jacket before we left and I wondered how he wasn't freezing his balls off in this weather. I on the other hand, was perfectly warm and toasty in Reiner's [bomber jacket](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=136512339). 

We quickly slipped into his Silver Durango and he thankfully cranked up the heat as he started the car and let it warm up for a few minutes before we were speeding off toward the large glass building that was Survey Corp Publications. Reiner and I made small talk during the short ride, but sooner than later he was pulling up to the front of the building and as I was making a move to get out of the car, I felt him stop me by grabbing my wrist and pulling me toward him so he could capture my lips in a kiss. 

It was short and sweet and he pulled away grinning. 

"Can I call you later?" he asked, a hopeful tone in his voice. 

I couldn't help but smile, "Sure." 

He leaned in for another kiss but this time I pulled away before he could land his lips on his target and I heard him groan causing me to chuckle as I hopped down from his Durango. 

After slamming the door shut, I shoved one of my hands in the pocket of his jacket and waved at him before I turned around frontwards to enter the building. I didn't need to look back to know that Reiner was probably checking out my ass as I walked away.

\- ♦ -

"This is the rest of the team that's going to be working with us on the supplement for Brzenska cosmetics. Erd, Gunther, Auruo and I'm sure you already know Petra." Levi introduced the four figures sitting in his office after he briefed me on why I was here at 8AM on a Saturday morning.

I smiled politely at the three new faces and introduced myself as Levi's assistant. Erd and Gunther seemed like pretty cool guys. Erd was really laid-back while Gunther was a little more on the serious side but I didn't mind it all that much. The one known as Auruo on the other hand, now, I wasn't raised to judge people before knowing them but this guy was just a royal ass. His whole demeanor was like a poorly mirrored version of Levi's high and mighty attitude and I didn't need to deal with two Diva's at once. Levi was enough of a Diva for me to handle. 

Petra skipped up to me and gave me a tight hug. I couldn't help but hug the woman back because she was just so damn adorable. 

"Isn't this fun, Eren? We're going to get to work together again!" Petra said excitedly, reminding me of a small child as her wide honey brown eyes sparkled. 

"Yes. Only I hope the models you use for this shoot won't get stuck in traffic again forcing me to fill in for them." I joked. 

"Oh, nonsense! I bet if we put you on the cover of anything you'd sell millions." Petra complimented and I smiled sheepishly. 

"If you don't mind, I'd actually like to get some work done." Levi huffed from behind his desk. Petra and I sat a little straighter in our seats. 

"Now, Rico asked us not to make the concept too sappy which is fine by me. Recon's not exactly known for sappy." Silver and Blue shifted to me then. "Eren. Since this concept was your idea, what did you have in mind for a theme for the photo shoot?" All eyes in the room them turned to me expectantly. 

I cleared my throat softly and pulled out a note pad I had in my desk for situations like this. It's not like I'm doing nothing when I'm _not_ running around the Survey Corp building doing Levi's dirty work. I flipped through my notes and started listing off some theme ideas I'd written down the day before in hopes I'd get an opportunity like this. Our concept was 'Mother's and Daughters' so I had to ask Mikasa for a bit of help on the 'Daughters' part. 

"The last idea for the theme that I had was to have the person modeling the mother in the shoot allowing the daughter to apply the make up to her face for her." I finished, flipping my note pad closed and looking around at the other faces in the room as they all murmured among themselves. 

Erd spoke up first, "I think that's probably the best theme we could go for. When you think about it, it's something that'll relate to our targeted readers more if we display something more domestic and less runway." 

"I agree. Plus, it's not too sappy. Just like Rico asked." Gunther added. 

"It's sounds like a shitty idea to me. What's more sappy than a picture of a mother and daughter putting make up on each other? This isn't some Home Life magazine. It's Recon Magazine, New York's high-end Fashion bible! We need something that'll blend right into the issue." 

I mentally rolled my eyes at Auruo's opinion of my idea. Of course, I didn't expect to have my ideas approved right away but he could have at least been a little more open minded about it. 

"I have to agree with Auruo to some extent. It's a good idea, Eren. Don't get me wrong. We kind of have to rely on you for this supplement considering Rico liked _your_ idea first and basically entrusted you with the entirety of the supplement with free range, but we have to consider the image of Recon as well." Levi mused. "Petra. Tell me what you think could improve Eren's idea?" 

"Hmm. Well, I think doing the shoot in black and white would bring some kind of class to the image and I think Mike would agree with me on that. Black and white photo shoots are always so popular and well-used in most fashion magazines, if we added the black and white filter it would blend in with the rest of the issue just fine." 

Levi hummed as he went deep into thought, and I had to admit, it was moments like these that I saw Levi in a really positive light. The professional side of him that nobody really gets to see. He was admirable in this state, a true professional in my eyes. Call me a nerd, but I always sort of got a figurative boner whenever Levi started talking business. He's always firm, blunt and confident in the choices he makes as Editor-in-Chief and so far his decisions haven't done Recon wrong. The huge success of the December Issue was proof of that. 

He was definitely suited for this position and it only made me respect him more knowing that he actually gave me chances to voice my ideas to him despite only being an assistant. If you had asked what my opinion of Levi was a month ago, I would have spat at the very mention of his name but if you were to ask me the same question now, I'd probably list off a page full of things I thought about Levi. The most important opinion I had of him though, was that as I worked alongside him I've definitely come to respect his work ethic. He never took short cuts. 

"Run the idea by Mike and see when's the earliest we can start picking out the models." Levi finally said as he looked directly at Petra who smiled wide as she nodded. "Eren, I'm going to need you to be in on the picking of the models as well. It would be pointless otherwise if you didn't supervise the progress of this supplement." I nodded in understanding at Levi's words. "Erd, I want you and Gunther to use your resources for this job and get me lists of all the top modeling agencies in the Manhattan area. Give the lists to Eren once you've got them." the two in question nodded curtly. "I think that basically covers the shoot. Let's move on to the next task at hand." 

The six of all worked diligently the next few hours, exchanging ideas and concepts for other sections of the supplement and how we could further bring out the softer side of Brzenska cosmetics. It was a strangely comforting feeling being around this group of people. I had learned between breaks that Erd, Gunther and Auruo have all worked with Levi several times in the past so they were veterans with this stuff but it only made me like them more. They didn't make me feel like the new guy or the odd one out, they welcomed my ideas and opinions with open minds and it felt nice to be treated as an equal.

\- ♦ -

"Eren." Levi called as he exited his office with the others.

I looked up at him from my spot behind my own desk, I had my phone pressed to one ear cradled between my cheek and shoulder while my hands busied themselves organizing files. 

"Reserve a table for six at Cafe Rose. We're all going out for Lunch together." 

"Sure. Did you need me to do anything else while you're all out?" I asked quickly. 

After shrugging on his black trench coat, Levi shot me an incredulous look. 

"I said we're _all_ going out for Lunch. That includes you, Brat. Now, hurry up." 

I sat there and stared at Levi like he had just grown a second head, then Petra and the others came up to my desk. Gunther took the phone from me and hung it on the receiver, Erd took the pen from my hand and put it back in my pen holder while Petra slammed the note pad I had open shut and then all three of them smiled down at me. 

"Come on, Kid." Erd goaded. 

"Did you think we were going to leave you behind? We're a team now." Gunther said. 

"Come on, Eren! Let's go!" Petra chirped excitedly. 

"Um," I started lamely. "Okay." 

I grabbed my cell phone from a drawer in my desk and shoved it in my pocket before standing to follow after the rest. Auruo and Levi were already standing by the elevators and the four of us caught up to them quickly. We all huddled in the elevator together, chit-chatting together before we finally reached the ground floor. 

Erd and Gunther insisted the Cafe wasn't that far from the Survey Corp building so we all decided to just walk there instead. It was a short walk, ten or fifteen minutes if I had been counting correctly. During that time I had already called and reserved a table for us. The streets of Manhattan were as busy as ever, crowded with masses of bodies crossing streets and standing at intersections. 

It was strange walking to a Cafe with my boss, Levi Ackerman, in his expensive Armani shoes. It was almost laughable to think the King of Mean was actually _walking_ and mingling with commoners. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Levi was actually a human being like anyone else. I was so used to seeing him get everything he ever wanted at the snap of his fingers. 

We arrived at the Cafe in no time at all despite the crowded side walks. The hostess quickly seated us in the table I specifically reserved for us, I figured since Levi liked his privacy that I would ask for a corner table in the back near a large window. It was large round table with six chairs around it, naturally. Levi took the chair in the center, Petra quickly took the one to his right and Auruo took the one to his left, I sat between Petra and Erd and we all placed our drink orders shortly after.

\- ♦ -

**_Levi's POV_**

I had been to Cafe Rose on several occasions before because I liked the comfortable atmosphere. It was very laid-back despite the harsh, monotonous color scheme of the cafe. The walls were painted a charcoal grey with white trim and the tiled floors were a lighter shade of grey. The colors were cool and odd for a cafe, but I found it charming in it's own way. Eren was sitting across from me chatting cheerfully with Petra and I watched him carefully over the rim of my cup.

This morning had been awkward to say the least but I didn't want to delve into that right now. After last night, my original opinion of Eren had changed... so to speak. I saw a different side of him at Club Sina, one I never thought he was capable of but he sure as hell proved me wrong. My point is, my thoughts were filled up with the brat, too much for my liking. I quietly sipped on the black tea provided by our server, the warmth sliding into my stomach was greatly welcomed after bracing the chill from outside on the walk over here. [(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5sGqWAHOig) There was a soft song playing in the background and I found the acoustics of the guitar calming. 

"Man, I hope it doesn't snow this Christmas." Erd groaned as he leaned back in his seat to stretch out a bit. 

"Another Christmas Eve date with your mother?" Gunther teased with a half smirk. The entire table chuckled. 

"Oh, sure. Laugh it up. You'll be sorry when I get a super hot date. Then who'll have the last laugh?" 

"Still me." Gunther quipped, taking a sip of his coffee. 

"What about you, Eren? Seeing anyone?" Erd asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows. 

Suddenly every eye at the table was on Eren, including mine. Silver and blue clashing with turquoise and gold. I saw him swallow before smiling nervously and taking a sip from his Latte. 

"Uh, no, not really." Could he possibly sound anymore suspicious? 

I knew as well as anyone who had been at the club last night that the brat had left with Reiner Braun but I wasn't gonna lie, when I called and asked if he was home this morning I had an inkling of an idea that he wasn't. 

"I doubt that." I added, looking away from him promptly when his eyes snapped up to meet mine. 

"Levi's right. I really doubt a cutie like you wouldn't be seeing anyone at all. There's got to be someone you're interested in." Petra chimed in. 

Eren chuckled while setting his cup down on the table. He stared thoughtfully at it for a moment before he looked up, smiling a bit. 

"Well, of course there's someone I'm interested in but we're not dating or anything." he finally admitted. One of his tanned hands reaching up to adjust the hairband that was tying back most of his hair. 

Our server came back just then cutting into our conversation. We placed our orders and continued to chat, everyone asking Eren curious questions since he was the new guy to this group. I'd worked with Erd and Gunther in the past which was why I knew I could rely on them. Petra was a long time friend and Auruo, despite his annoying-as-fuck tendencies to copy me poorly, was extremely reliable.

"I remember my first time meeting Levi. I almost pissed my pants." Erd laughed. "I didn't piss myself, for the record." he added. 

"Yeah, on my first day working for Survey Corp I ran into him on the elevators and accidentally scuffed his new Versace shoes and he made me get on my hands and knees and scrub the floors." Gunther shook his head with a smile. 

"I also recall telling you to buy me a new pair. I'm still waiting, Gunther." I gave the tiniest of smirks from behind the rim of my tea cup, gripping it with my fingertips. 

"That was five years ago, sir." Gunther swallowed. 

"Exactly. Haven't you kept me waiting long enough?" I raised a brow in question. 

Gunther looked like he was about to shit his pants and I snorted into my cup taking another sip. 

"You guys are spineless. That's why you were weak against The Captain's signature glare." Auruo scoffed. 

"Look who's talkin'. If I remember correctly, there was a rumor floating around the 20th floor that your first encounter with Levi involved spilled tea on a Dolce & Gabbana shirt and I heard you cried when Levi gave you his signature death glare." Erd smirked, elbowing Gunther who in turn smirked as well. Petra had a hand covering her mouth to stifle her giggles in vain. She was trembling with silent laughter. 

"W-Who did you hear that from!?" Auruo all but yelled, his face twisted in mortification. 

"Oh, a little bird who saw the whole thing." 

I snorted in amusement as Auruo and Erd bickered, my eyes trailing over to Eren to see him trying terribly hard not to laugh by pursing his lips tightly together at Erd's amusing story of my first encounter with Auruo. 

"Are you serious?" Eren asked. 

"Actually it was worse than the rumor makes it sound. Auruo actually pissed himself and then started crying from embarrassment." I said, curling my lip in disgust at the memory.

"L-Levi!!" 

"Tch. The brat was bound to hear about it anyway." 

"Aw, he even calls Eren 'brat' like he used to call us!" Petra cooed. "That's already a sign that you're officially apart of this team!" she beamed and I rolled my eyes. 

"A brat is still a brat. You're all still brats in my eyes." 

"So how did your first encounter with Levi go, Eren? We all shared our stories." Gunther asked curiously. 

Well, shit. I was curious about this one. It's literally only been one month and a week since Eren and I met and I remembered our first meeting painfully well. I wanted to hear how the kid was going to explain this one. 

"Well," Eren started after he took in a deep breath. "he was an asshole. Like, a really huge asshole." the table went eerily silent and everyone exchanged nervous glances with me but Eren, the little shit, he kept direct eye contact with me. Molten gold and vivid Turquoise staring me down almost in a challenging manner. 

"And?" I said calmly, motioning with my hand for him to continue. 

"And," he sat a little straighter in his seat, frowning. "literally, the first words he said to me when he saw me was "Are you fucking kidding me?" and _that_ was before he quite literally dragged me to Erwin Smith's office." Eren then smiled sarcastically at me. "Good times." he sang. 

"Good times, indeed." I hummed. "Don't forget about how I threatened to get you to quit within the first week." I said, casually leaning back in my sat and smirking. 

"Right, how could I possibly forget? Yet, here we are one month later and I'm _still_ here." Eren said all too sweetly. "Why don't you just admit that I'm the best damn assistant you've ever had?"

I scoffed, "A month is hardly anything to brag about, don't get cocky. Try getting through your first year with me and then we'll see." 

"I look forward to it." this time he smiled genuinely and my heart might have palpitated. Maybe. Just a little bit. Okay, it did. 

Meanwhile, Petra and the others just quietly listened to our banter. None brave enough to interrupt. I was sure they were all pretty taken aback by how cheeky Eren was being with me, but by now I was used to Eren's sass and sarcasm. I even found it quite charming at times. Okay, I did not just fucking think that Eren was _charming_. Did I?

"Wow, Eren. You're telling me that happened on your first day and you didn't run away crying or piss yourself?" Erd asked with a half-smirk. 

"No. If I'm being honest, I was more pissed than anything. I wanted to prove to Levi that I wasn't just going to quit just because he didn't like the way I looked or whatever." Eren admitted. 

"Well, that's a first. I don't think I've ever met anyone who's first encounter with Levi didn't leave them in tears or just plain scared." Gunther mused out loud. 

"So, what's your opinion of Levi now after you've worked with him for so long, Eren? And be honest." Petra asked excitedly. Okay, now this I wasn't sure I wanted to hear. 

"Honestly?" Eren asked, Petra nodded. "My opinion of him hasn't changed much. I still think he's an asshole." he glanced at me and I looked away this time, feeling strangely dejected. "But," he added. "I guess I have come to kind of respect him a little bit now that I've gotten to see his professional side. I've seen how stressful being the Editor-in-Chief of such an important and highly respected magazine is and well, I guess I kind of want to help him out as much as I can. I hope I can be someone he can rely on completely in the future." 

My eyes snapped back up to meet Eren's but his were staring thoughtfully into his half-empty Caffe Latte, a soft smile curving his full lips and his bangs falling messily in his face. I was reminded of how he looked the very first time I saw him in my office once more, hair a wild mess, glasses, blue jeans and converse. Not much has changed since the first day I met him. He was still determined as fuck and stubborn as ever, hard-working and diligent with any task I give him. The only thing that changed, was his appearance. 

Our food arrived, finally, and our conversation was cut down to simple small talk in between bites as we ate. Everyone at the table knowing full well not to talk with food in their mouths or I'd personally stick my foot up their ass and make them lick my shoes clean. My eyes kept finding Eren's through out our peaceful lunch and each time I saw gold and emerald green, my heart would do a weird thing that I didn't like.

\- ♦ -

After lunch, we all went back to the office and finished up whatever loose ends were left for the supplement. I decided I'd just let everyone go home early considering they had all been here since 8AM and it was Saturday. At 4pm I dismissed everyone for the day and Petra, Erd and Gunther all gave Eren cheerful goodbyes. They even exchanged numbers before they all left, Auruo leaving Eren his number only in cases of emergencies or whatever the hell that meant.

Then, it was just Eren and I in the building. I was finishing up with the mock up book with the progress for the January issue while Eren was packing up to go. I hesitated to stop him before I finally decided to stop being a little pansy ass about it and cleared my throat loudly as Eren powered down his desktop computer, 

"Eren." I called and he quickly snapped his head up to look at me. "Wait for me. I'll give you a ride."

I heard him sigh and then he was sauntering casually into my office with his hands shoved deep into his front pockets with his shoulders hiked up in a shrug of sorts. 

"You're doing it again." He said vaguely. 

"Doing what again?" I asked with a brow raised in question. 

"That thing where you order people around without giving them a choice in the matter." 

I rolled my eyes, "Just shut up and let me drive you home, dumbass." 

Eren shrugged and then he was turning around to leave my office. 

"Sure. I'll wait for you outside." 

I watched him quietly as he grabbed some things from his desk and started for the elevators, disappearing around the corner and out of my line of view. I sighed as I flipped through the last few pages of the mock up book, marking down my own foots notes on the bright neon colored post its on the page edges sticking out from the book. 

Once I was finished with the mock up book, I locked it up in a drawer in my desk and stood to grab my coat from behind the door. I checked my pockets to make sure I had everything I needed before I turned out the lights in my office and locked the door before starting for the elevators myself. It threw me off, leaving the Survey Corp building while it was still bright outside. 

My shoes clacked loudly against the spotless white tiles of the empty building. Anyone else might have found the deafening silence eerie but I found comfort in it. When I finally reached the lobby, I nodded at the security guard on duty for the weekend as I strode across the main lobby floor and out the front doors. I breathed in the chilled December air and could swear I smelled cinnamon and peppermint in the air, but that would be ridiculous. It was just my imagination and tired mind playing tricks on me. 

I glanced around looking for a familiar head of messy brown hair and found it when I looked to my right and saw Eren leaning against the same stone pillar I had found him sitting against that one November night almost a month ago. He had his cell phone in his hand as he thumbed at the screen, his brows knitted tightly together giving him a serious expression but his lips were parted slightly and I could see him rolling something around in his mouth with his tongue. 

"Let's go, brat." I said taking a step toward him. 

His eyes snapped up to meet mine and they lit up with something I couldn't quite make out. He shoved his phone in his jean pocket and trotted over to me with his hands shoved into his jacket pockets. 

He followed me over toward my car that was parked in the garage. My parking spot was reserved with a plate that had my name on it, courtesy of Erwin Smith when I became Creative Director. I unlocked the doors to my black Lamborghini and heard Eren make a sound between a scoff and a choked cough. 

"Butterfly doors, are you fucking kidding me?" I heard him mumble more to himself than anything and I couldn't help but smirk. I couldn't tell if he was more pissed or impressed or both. 

"Surprised?" I asked as I slid into the drivers seat. "Also, don't track any dirt into my car or I'll kill you and dump your body over the Brooklyn bridge." 

I saw him roll his eyes, "No, I'm not really surprised. More like I should have expected you of all people to first of all drive a Lamborghini and second of all have butterfly doors. Why do I all filthy rich guys have to have cars with butterfly doors?" he huffed after he slid into the passengers seat. 

"Well, I don't know about _all_ filthy rich guys." I smirked. 

We pulled out of the garage and out into the ever bustling streets of New York City. Eren thankfully kept his hands to himself as we drove, if there was one thing I fucking hated about letting people into my car, it was when they started touching shit leaving their smudged fingerprints on everything. Eren had to direct me which streets to go down since the last time I gave him a ride home it was in my town car and my chauffeur was the one behind the wheel. 

"So, am I safe in assuming that you won't be calling me to come into work tomorrow at 8am?" Eren asked, breaking the thick silence hanging over us during the drive. 

"Relax, Kid." I snorted. "There won't be anymore unexpected phone calls at 8am." 

"Good. My house is on the next block." he instructed. 

I turned on the next block and drove until Eren asked me to stop. I set the car in park and sat in awkward silence as Eren hesitated to get out of the car. 

"Um, thanks for the ride, I guess. See you Monday." he said awkwardly. 

I only gave a curt nod as he opened the passengers side door and slid out, shutting it gently and then jogging off down the block a bit. I hadn't noticed it before, but Eren had left a white and black dress shirt that was neatly folded into a square on the seat of my car and I eyed it suspiciously. Wasn't that the shirt he was wearing last night when he left with Reiner? It was unmistakably the shirt he wore last night at the club, how could I possibly forget the way he looked in it while on the dance floor that night? 

Putting my car into drive, I slowly released the break and just eased slowly down the side walk closer to where Eren was headed only to see him stopped in front of a light blue-ish colored house with a gated stoop talking to a skinny blond guy with some really shitty side-burns. Eren looked really upset, if the deep frown on his face was anything to go by. I rolled the window on my side down and decided to call out to him as I pulled up next to him on the curb. 

"Oi, Eren." I said, lowering the sunglasses I had perched on my nose. Eren and side-burns guy both turned to look at me. I reached over and grabbed his shirt, balling it up a bit before I threw it out the window at him. He caught it with ease. "You left your shirt in my car." 

The look on blondie's face was priceless. His eyes went wide as he stared at me like I had just grown a fucking dick out of my forehead, then he turned to stare at Eren who was still frowning. 

"Did you just come home with that guy? Isn't he the same one I saw you with a couple of weeks ago?" blondie asked. 

"Thomas, I already told you. It's none of your business who I hang around with." Eren spat. This might have been my cue to leave, but I decided to linger about in case blondie here stirred up any unnecessary trouble. 

"You lied to me, you are seeing him aren't you? I thought you hated stuck up guys like that but now you're dating one?" 

"It's none of your business, Thomas! Now go home, I already told you I don't want to see you anymore." 

Blondie looked about ready to protest as his mouth fell open to retort but this time I interjected, 

"Oi, Lamb chop." I snapped my fingers before jerking my thumb behind me. "Get lost, he doesn't wanna talk to you." 

Blondie, or Thomas as I'd heard Eren call him moments ago, frowned at me and looked about as ferocious as a miffed puppy who just had a bath. I fixed him with my best glare and I noticed the way he swallowed before he huffed and turned back to Eren. 

"We'll talk later, okay?" Thomas mumbled quietly. 

" _Bye_ , Thomas." 

Lamb chops hesitated to go at first but one glance back at me who was still glaring at him from my care window and he was walking away. Eren sighed heavily and slung the shirt I had thrown him over his shoulder. 

"Psycho stalker or something?" I asked. 

"Worse. Ex-boyfriend." Eren huffed, but then he smiled and my heart did swelled a bit. "Thanks, again." 

I pushed my sunglasses up with a finger before turning to face frontwards again, effectively avoiding getting captivated by that nice smile and even nicer eyes as he smiled. 

"See you monday. Try not to get murdered by side-burns kid, I still need you for that supplement photo shoot." 

The last thing I heard before rolling up my window and driving away was the light, airy sound of Eren's lovely laughter as I drove away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have some cute, random, unexpected Ereri~ ╰(*´︶`*)╯
> 
> What's this? Character development? Levi not being an asshole for once? AMAZING! 
> 
> Next chapter: Levi and Hanji silliness. Because there's never enough LeviHan brotp moments.


	11. Winter & Spring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different."_ — **Coco Chanel**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a much needed Levi POV! Watch as our sexy little midget has a meltdown over feels! I couldn't keep away from the Ereri fluff!  
> Also, let's get nerdy with some flower talk~ e u e

"I don't think you understand, Hanji." 

"Oh, I understand perfectly, boss. You have a crush!" 

"... a what?" 

Hanji sighed with a roll of her eyes. 

"A crush, genius. You know, those things people write love songs about? A crush!" 

"As if." I snorted. "I don't get crushes, four eyes." 

"Ugh, fine. I'll prove it to you." Hanji shot up from her seat. "You think about them a lot. Like not just a lot, but like all of the time. Am I getting any warmer?" 

"Okay?" 

"Second! You look at them a lot, can't help just staring at them all the time no matter what you're doing." she said as she started pacing the length of my office.

"Go on." 

"Thirdly! You find any little thing about them cute, charming, attractive. Like their smile, their laugh, anything really." 

"..." 

"Fourthly!" she stopped in front of my desk. "Just hearing their name makes your heart jump in nervousness and/or excitement." 

"......" 

"Am I getting through to you yet, short stuff?" she asked, leaning over my desk. 

"...Fuck!" I buried my face in my hands as I cursed. 

"I knew it!" I could practically hear Hanji grinning from ear to ear like some escaped mental patient. "You have a crush! Levi Ackerman has a crush! God, where are the tabloids when you need them?" 

"This isn't _funny_ , Hanji!" I hissed. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with this... 'crush'? It's not like me." 

"Oh, stop acting like it's such a bad thing! You're overreacting." Hanji finally took her seat again crossing her legs together. 

"Overreacting? _Overreact_ \-- No, Hanji. This isn't overreacting. This is me having a fucking meltdown. In all of the whole ten years you've known me, when have I ever had a fucking crush before?" 

"Well, never, duh. That's why this is such a good thing! You're finally moving on from this whole 'man whore' business and I think it's great!" 

"No! It's not great! This is fucking bad! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I had casual sex with someone?" 

"Uh, no and I don't think I--" 

"Two weeks. I didn't even take anyone home from the Club last Friday night, you were there. I left early and we both know that's not like me. I haven't even bothered calling any of my fuck buddies up in the last two weeks because I'm busy with work, getting this supplement done, New Year's Fashion Week. I don't have time for a fucking crush!"

"Whoa, okay. Calm down there, Short and Angry. You need to breathe, breeeeathe." Hanji drawled. 

"Fine, okay, I'm breathing." I said slumping back in my chair. 

"Now think about things that make you happy. Go to your happy place." 

"What if I don't have a-"

"Shhh! Happy place~ Things that make you happy~ The smell of black tea, laundry detergent, new Chanel suits." 

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply through my nose, Hanji's method was surprisingly helpful and I felt myself calming down slowly. 

"Now, imagine those things that make you happy in your head." Hanji cooed. "Maybe you even see a face, a person, someone who makes you calm." 

As if on cue, a face of a particular person did come to mind. I focused on the face, it was long, round, almost childlike. Tanned skin, messy brown hair. The eyes though, they were the clearest thing about this person. Shimmering gold and vibrant Teal. 

"What are you imagining?" Hanji asked quizzically. 

"Eyes." I answered. "Just big fucking eyes." 

"Hmm." Hanji hummed. "You mean, like Eren's?" 

My eyes snapped open immediately at the mention of Eren's name and I blinked a few times before glaring at Hanji who was leaning across my desk with the biggest shit-eating grin I've ever seen on her face. 

"Get out." I snapped. 

"Nope! You called _me_ here, remember? You said you had a problem and Mama Hanji is here to help!" 

I scowled at her, ready to strangle her any second now. Luckily for her, there was a knock on my office door and we both looked up to see a delivery guy holding a pot of flowers. Hanji immediately went to open the door against my oppositions. The last thing I needed was to be receiving flowers from one of my fuck buddies. Flowers never meant anything good. 

"Flower Delivery for Eren Jaeger?" the guy holding the small bouquet said. My ears perked up at the mention of Eren's name. Who the fuck would be sending him flowers?

"I'm Eren Jaeger!" Hanji chirped with a large grin. The guy holding the flowers eyed her suspiciously before he handed her the planter. "Thank you~" Hanji chimed before she slammed the door to my office shut. 

She then bounded over to me with a manic look on her face as she snatched up the card that came with the flowers and started reading it aloud. 

"Hmm... It's says it's from someone named Thomas." Hanji hummed. She looked up at me confused, "Who's Thomas? Does he work here?" 

"Tch. That guy again? What a fucking joke. He's Eren's ex-boyfriend." I spat. "What's with those flowers anyway? They look like colorful weeds." 

"That's because they're Primrose's Levi. Don't you know what a Primrose flower means in the language of flowers?" Hanji asked, setting the small bouquet down on my desk. 

"Like I give a shit about language of flowers." 

"Primrose flowers mean 'I can't live without you'. This Thomas guy sounds desperate." Hanji said very matter-of-fact. "That, and he wrote on the card _"Please give me another chance? -Thomas"_." 

"That guy has about as much of a chance with Eren as I do." I mumbled to myself. 

"So you admit it!" She shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at me. 

"Tch! I didn't say anything, shitty glasses. Now go put those ugly ass flowers on Eren's desk before he comes back from lunch." 

"No way! You're going to let him _see_ these!? What if he decides to take Thomas back!?" she whined. 

"I highly doubt it, Hanji. I know for a fact Eren doesn't even want to see the guy." 

"And you know this how?" she inquired curiously. 

"None of your damn business. Now, hurry up and put the fucking weeds on his desk." 

She stuck her tongue out at me before she pouted and stomped off to put the flowers on Eren's desk like I asked of her. It seriously wasn't my problem if he got flowers from his ex-boyfriend and I really didn't see why I should even care. Still, it bothered the ever living fuck out of me to know that annoying guy with the sideburns was trying to woo Eren with fucking flowers. Hanji came back into my office with her shoulders slumped while dragging her feet. She was still pouting like a 5 year old. 

Suddenly, she perked up and a mischievous grin started to slowly form on her face. There was glint of something in her big, brown eyes and I immediately knew she was up to absolutely no good. Then she was taking out her phone and scrolling through her contacts like a mad woman before she tapped the screen so hard I thought she would crack it and then she was pressing the phone to ear. 

I narrowed my eyes at her suspiciously as she waited for whoever she was calling to pick up the phone. 

"Nanaba? Hi, it's Hanji Zoe. How you doin', doll?" Hanji sang. 

Nanaba? As in Nanaba the owner of the fancy Flower shop everyone is always talking about? How the fuck did Hanji know the owner of that flower shop? She had her number on speed dial practically. 

"Listen, Nana. Do you think you could do a friend of mine a favor? You know those really pretty pink Camellia flowers? Yeah, that's the one. I know you don't normally sell them but, do you think you could make an exception just this _one time?_ " Hanji cooed as she looked directly at me and smiled deviously. "Do you think you could deliver one to a Eren Jaeger at Survey Corp Publications, 26th floor by sayyyyy 2 o clock this afternoon? Oh, of course!" 

I glared at Hanji. Just what the hell was she up to now. Ordering flowers for Eren? 

"The card? Oh, right. Well, since it's from my _'friend'_ ," she emphasized the word with a wink in my direction. "and since they're not exactly poetic, like at all, just put something short and sweet on the card." I glowered at her as she continued to smile. "Describe Eren to you? Hmm. Two words, Nana: Gorgeous. Eyes." 

"Hanji, wait." I stopped her with a frantic wave of my hands. I was probably utterly insane for what I was about to do next. Hanji asked Nanaba to wait for a second and I quickly grabbed a note pad and started scribbling down some words. I was fucking crazy for going along with this shit, absolutely fucking insane. I heaved a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of my nose before I hesitantly handed Hanji the sticky note with what I had written on it. She plucked it from my fingertips and beamed after she read it. 

"On second thought, Nana. My friend wants to have something specific put on the card." Shortly after, Hanji ended her cheerful phone call and she snickered at me. "You got it bad, honey." 

"Shut up." I said halfheartedly. "If you'd stop being such a god damn busy-body I'd be able to get some fucking work done." 

"Aw, love you too Munchkin~" she cooed. "Oh, hey. Here comes Eren." 

My eyes snapped up to look through the window of my office to see Eren walking around the corner and straight to his desk. I saw him stop and stare at the flowers that were on his desk, he stood there and just looked at them for a few seconds and then he was making his way straight to my office. 

"Uhm, Levi?" he said confused. 

"What the fuck is it?" I said, pretending to busy myself with non-existent paperwork. 

"Why is there a... _plant_ on my desk?" 

"Oh! Someone came and delivered it for you!" Hanji piped up excitedly. 

"Delivered it? Who is it from?" Eren asked curiously. 

"Like fuck if we know. Ever think about reading the card that came with it, genius?" 

"Oh, I'm sorry, your royal highness." Eren smiled sarcastically. "Forgive me for intruding on your _very_ important paperwork. I'll see myself to the dungeon, my lord." 

"Tch. Get out of here and go take care of your weird fucking plant." I shooed him away with a wave of my hand and Eren rolled his eyes before smiling and turning to leave. 

Hanji snorted unattractively, "You guys are adorable together. He _completes_ you." she cooed while making a heart shape with her hands. "And did you see what he was wearing today? Is it just me or are his shirts getting tighter and tighter?" she giggled.

"Shut the fuck up, four eyes." I hissed, watching Eren carefully through the window of my office. Hanji did have a point though. Damn it, why the fuck did Eren have to [wear](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=136777160) that fucking tight as fuck shirt today?

He plucked the card from the flowers on his desk and held it up as he read it. I could see the way his eyebrows slowly started to knit together and his mouth turned down in a deep frown. Then just as quickly as he had read it, he was ripping the card into pieces before he tossed them in the trash can. Hanji gasped and looked at me with wide eyes. 

"Oh my god, you were right!" she whispered harshly. I only rolled my eyes at her again. Of course I was right. 

Then I saw Eren grab the plant and walk off toward the receptionists desk. He was gone for several minutes before he returned, empty-handed and a small, satisfied grin on his face. 

\- ♦ -

Eren knocked softly on my office door and cleared his throat as he entered. Hanji beamed at him as he came in. I can't believe she was still fucking here.

"Levi, you have a message from that photo journalist friend of yours. Mister Farlan Church?"

"Is he back in the fucking States yet?" 

"Not exactly. He was calling from the plane." 

"Tch, Figures. So, what was the message?" 

"Mister Church wanted me to tell you that he should be in New York in a couple of hours but he wanted to remind you about your Fashion Week tradition a.k.a. "The Booty-Olympics Tradition" if that rings any bells?" Eren drawled while raising a questioning brow at me. 

"Ignore it. Farlan can be an idiot." 

"Uh-huh." he said incredulously. 

"Oh! I didn't know Farlan was coming back to the states! How long has it been again?" Hanji inquired quizzically.

"Not long enough to keep him away from Fashion week, apparently."

Then there came a knock on my door, again. What the fuck was with everyone coming to my office and knocking on the door today? The three of us turned to see a handsome woman with short blond hair standing there. 

"Yes? How can I help you?" Eren asked politely, taking a step toward the woman smiling.

"Pardon the intrusion. I have a delivery for Eren Jaeger." she said softly while gesturing toward the long white box she was holding. 

"Nanaba!" Hanji screeched as she shot up from her seat to hug the woman. So that was the owner of the flower shop Hanji had called earlier? I wasn't exactly expecting the owner herself to make the delivery. 

"Hanji." Nanaba greeted simply as she was nearly hugged to death. 

"Um, I'm Eren Jaeger." Eren interjected awkwardly. 

Hanji finally stopped hugging the life out of Nanaba and stepped aside to let Eren approach the woman. I quietly watched the exchange between the two, my heart palpitating like crazy in my chest. Shit. The brat better not think the delivery was from that annoying ex-boyfriend of his. 

Nanaba eyed Eren curiously, "My, I'm sorry but, your eyes are terribly beautiful." she said with a small smile. 

"Oh, um, T-Thank you." Eren said bashfully. 

Finally, Nanaba presented the long, narrow white box with a deep red satin ribbon tied around it. She handed the box carefully to a very surprised Eren, his eyes were practically sparkling. 

"Oh, open it up Eren!" Hanji goaded him on excitedly. 

Eren nervously gave me a look and I only cleared my throat and gave the slightest of nods for him to go ahead and open it. I would be lying if I said my heart wasn't thumping wildly in my chest in anxious anticipation. I had basically just blindly ordered him flowers, well, technically Hanji did but I was just as involved because I _let_ her fucking order the flowers. 

He carefully removed the red ribbon by pulling it from one end and it slipped off effortlessly. Then he slowly lifted the top of the box off and there was a thin layer of white tissue paper covering what was inside, obscuring it from everyone's view. I sucked in a small breath as he removed the sheet of tissue paper and what was inside made Eren and Hanji gasp.

"Oh my gosh... this is beautiful." Eren sighed, his voice sounding slightly shaky. 

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUcGDwjBWGA) Inside the box was a single [flower](https://31.media.tumblr.com/c72e82c1ecb9d2e23c8749aa715ed5aa/tumblr_mt6n36vNOq1sh4dnjo1_500.jpg). Not a very large flower but it was far from small. It had multiple large petals, all in full bloom colored a lovely shade of baby pink. It was... beautiful, to say the least. I wasn't expecting Hanji to have such good tastes in things like flowers, although I wondered if she had a specific reason for choosing that particular one. 

"It's called a Camellia Flower and they're very easy to find. It comes in White, pink and red and they each mean something different. A pink Camellia flower means someone is longing for you." Nanaba explained with a soft smile. 

Well, shit. It made sense now why Hanji picked this particular flower. She was sneaky as fuck, I'll give her that. But I couldn't deny that I thought the flower suited Eren just fine. My heart was no longer beating with anxiousness but with something else. 

"There's a card, Eren." Hanji pointed out. That anxious feeling from before returned and I felt slightly sick to my stomach remembering what I had specifically requested to be put on that card. Fuck. 

Eren plucked the card that was laying beside the thick green stem of the flower and he turned it over to read what had been printed simply on the back. I swallowed nervously and subconsciously started fiddling with a pen I had in my hand, rolling it between my thumb and forefinger as I anticipated the inevitable. Eren slowly started reading the message on the card out loud,

>   
> "In one eye the Ocean, in the other the Sun  
>  When your eyes meet mine, I come undone. — Rivaille"  
> 

I could clearly see the confusion written all over his face as he read and re-read the card multiple times, like the words held some kind of secret message between the lines, which I guess wasn't too far from the truth except the secret wasn't in the words but in the name signed. 

"So?! Who's it from?" Hanji asked, clapping her hands together like an excited walrus. 

"Someone named Rivaille. I don't think I've ever met anyone with that name before." Eren mumbled as he continued to stare at the card. 

"Well, whoever they are! Sounds like they've got it bad for you, Eren." Hanji teased. I could hear that subtle jab at me in her tone and I sucked my teeth loudly. 

"Sound like a fucking creep if you asked me." I grumbled.

"Well, sure it might seem a bit creepy to have secret admirers in this day and age but... I don't know, I-- I think it's kind of sweet doing something so old fashioned." Eren said smiling softly. My heart caught in my throat and I quickly swiveled my chair around so no one could see my face. My cheeks felt slightly warmer than usual and I mentally slapped myself. Shit. What the fuck was I? A lovesick teenager or a 32 year old grown-ass man?

"Excuse me, Miss Nanaba, do you perhaps...?" Eren trailed off. There wasn't really any need to finish his unspoken question, I'm sure Nanaba was expecting it. 

"I'm sorry, but the person who asked us to deliver this didn't leave any kind of name or contact information." I heard Nanaba say apologetically. 

"Oh... well, that's alright. I think I'll go and put this in a vase with some water." 

"If you'd like, I could give you some tips to care for the flower. I have some great tricks you could use to make it last twice as long." Nanaba said sweetly. 

"Yes, I'd love that. Thank you." I heard a shuffling of shoes against the spotless floors. "Oh, Levi!" Eren called and my heart jumped in surprise. "I'll be back in a few minutes to give you the rest of your messages." 

I grunted in response and flicked my wrist in a shooing gesture. I needed to think about my life choices right now so I would gladly welcome Eren being gone for more than a few minutes. My heart still felt like a stupid mess and it pissed me off to no end. I heard my office door close softly and I swiveled back in my seat to find Hanji grinning manically at me with a crazy glint in her eyes. 

"You're still fucking here?" I said rolling my eyes. 

"And you're still blushing." she sang. 

"Get out." I growled and Hanji only threw her head back and cackled before she left my office. I sighed deeply and massaged my temples with both hands. I had a fucking crush.

\- ♦ -

_"Levi."_ Eren voice came through the phone intercom on my desk. "Farlan Church is here to see you."

My eyes snapped up in surprise and I eyed my assistant through the glass window. Fucking Farlan was leaning against Eren's desk and I immediately shot up from my chair hitting my knee on the underside of my desk but ignore the dull ache as I stomped toward my office door and ripped it open. 

"So, you're the one I talked to on the phone earlier right? Wow, you're even cuter in person." I heard Farlan purr as he leaned closer to Eren and smiled like some kind of fucking predator. 

"Oi, Farlan." I growled. He was way too fucking close to Eren for my liking. He was practically fucking breathing down the kid's neck. 

Farlan's grey eyes snapped up to meet mine and I saw him smile cheekily before he waved. 

"Yo! Long time no see, Levi." he greeted, completely ignoring my glare. 

"Tch. Stop harassing my assistant." I said glowering at him. 

Farlan only shrugged before he turned back to Eren who was doing his best to be polite but I could tell he was already uncomfortable with how close and friendly Farlan was being with him. 

"Hey, pretty eyes. If Levi ever gives you any trouble, just give me a call." Farlan winked with a smirk and I mentally laughed at his shitty attempts at flirting. Why was I friends with him again? 

"How sweet of you." Eren said with a sarcastic smile. "But I think I can handle Levi myself." 

Gold and teal flashed over to me and the corners of my lip twitched a bit threatening to curl upward into a smirk. Eren however, did give me a cheeky grin and I only rolled my eyes pretending to be annoyed with his witty sarcasm.

"I can be much sweeter once you get to know me." Farlan chuckled, and fucking finally he moved the hell away from Eren and I relaxed just a little bit. 

"Eren, take the rest of my calls, tell whoever the fuck needs to talk to me that I'm in a meeting or some shit." I said, before turning back to walk into my office. Farlan right behind me. 

"I'll see what I can do." Eren said in a sing-song tone of voice.

Farlan shut the door behind him when he walked in and I went back to my desk, loosening my tie a bit as I did so. I heard Farlan whistle as he came in and I looked up to see him still watching Eren through the window of my office. 

"Damn." He drawled. "Please tell me you're not tapping that ass." he finally turned around and pouted at me and I frowned. 

Now might be a good time to mention that Farlan and I go a back a long way. He was my wing-man to every night club and we were a duo of experts when it came to picking up models. Needless to say, I still picked up models even without the help of Farlan but having my old partner in crime back on the scene was nostalgic. 

"So how was Africa?" I asked, trying to change the subject. 

"Aw, man. It was freakin' amazing. I met local tribes, got in with some native babes believe it or not." He wiggled his eyes brows before he plopped down in one of the plush leather seats in my office. "Be honest with me, Levi. You banging the assistant or not?" 

"Tch. I see you're still as horny as ever. What does it matter if I am fucking him?" 

"It matters because I gotta know if he's off-limits or not, come on, you remember the rules. If one of us calls dibs on a hottie first the other one has to back off." he elaborated. "So, is he free-game or is he already property of Levi Ackerman?"

Shit. I had to handle this situation delicately. I knew how Farlan worked, how he's pretty quick to the draw and despite his sometimes cheesy flirting methods, knew exactly how effective they were. Dare I say it, he was almost as good as bedding people as I was if not just as good. If I told him the truth, he'd be on Eren in no time. Literally. 

"That one's off-limits." and it wasn't a complete lie. 

"Damn it, I knew you were tapping that." Farlan chuckled before he leaned back in his seat and stretched out a bit. 

"... How's Isabel?" I asked as I looked over some clothes swatches. 

"Ah, you know her. She's got her hands full with her all her 'stop world hunger and global warming' business. Last time I talked to her, she was somewhere in south east Asia." 

"Sounds like she's busy." I hummed. 

"Alright, let's cut to the chase here, shall we? What is the plan for New Year's Fashion Week?" Farlan jumped between subjects like he jumped between lovers. 

"There is no 'plan'. I'm going to be too fucking busy making sure everything runs smoothly for this damn event. I won't even have time to jerk off, let alone think about bedding the models at the show." I huffed. 

"You're kidding, aren't you? Fashion Week is our thing, Levi. Even when you were still Creative Director you still had time to bang a few underwear models in the back changing rooms." Farlan laughed. 

"No shit. But I can't do that this year. I'm the Editor-in-Chief. I have interviews, clothing lines to present, designers to meet, old, fat, rich bastards and their plastic wives I have to kiss ass to and pretend that I like." I listed off. 

Farlan sighed in defeat, "Alright, I get it. Geez. I guess I'll just have to do without my wing-man this year." he finally shook his head and smiled at me. "In all seriousness, Levi. I admire you for being able to handle all this pressure without losing your shit." 

I snorted, "Don't jinx me. Fashion Week is still a couple weeks away and everyone is making it their life goals to piss me off in every way possible." 

There was another soft set of knocks on my office door and I didn't need to look up to see or know that it was Eren. Eren always knocked twice, always two quick knocks, and that familiar clearing of his throat before he spoke. 

"Sorry to interrupt. Levi, I brought you some fresh tea. I also brought you a sparkling water, Mr. Church." Eren said with a polite smile as he entered the office with my silver tea set on a tray. 

He handed me the spotless silver tea cup and poured a fresh cup from the equally as spotless tea kettle. Then he grabbed the long bottle of cold sparkling water and turned to hand it to Farlan who smiled and thanked Eren politely. At least Farlan was keeping to his word of not bothering Eren after I told him he was off-limits. Mission Success. 

Eren turned to leave but he stopped when he suddenly remembered something and he quickly turned on the sole of his boot to look back at me. 

"Oh, also. Erd and Gunther finally got me all the contacts for the Modeling Agencies and they asked me if you could come down to the shoot this friday to supervise but I volunteered to do it instead since you'll be busy with the Fashion Week preparations. I already got the go-ahead with the photo editing department and the photographer himself, he said it's fine if you're not there in person." 

I stared at Eren in mild surprise by how far he'd already gotten with the supplement. I didn't expect the shoot to happen for another week maybe but it was going down this friday which in the end was fucking great news because the faster we finished this fucking supplement the less work load for Squad Levi and I could be free to put all my focus into Fashion Week. 

"I see. Well, just make sure to keep me in the loop for what's going on and I'll leave the details of the shoot to you." 

Eren smiled before he simply nodded and he left my office, returning to his desk. I took a sip of my tea, my eyes watching him from over the rim of my cup. I heard Farlan whistle. 

"Is it normal for you to leave such a big workload to an assistant like that?" he asked, snapping the cap of his sparkling water open and taking a long sip. 

"Eren's not your average assistant." I said, hiding my smirk behind my hand as it gripped the edges of the cup. 

My eyes went back to Eren's figure again and I watched as he straightened up some papers on his desk and moved them around. He paused briefly and his stare trailed up to the large flower sitting in a thin vase on his desk. The flower Rivaille had sent him; that I sent him. (technically it was Hanji but you get the fucking point) 

He stared at the flower for a moment before a soft smile graced his lips and he tentatively raised a hand toward it and gently stroked at one of the large petals. In the light of the late afternoon sun that peeked through the grey blanket of clouds in the sky, Eren's eyes shimmered and painted a perfect picture for me. 

My heart started to palpitate in my chest again and this time, I didn't mind it as much. Farlan was rambling on about his adventures in Africa and I half-listened while my attention was often drawn back toward Eren and the Camellia flower. A distant, fleeting thought ran through my mind;

> "The Universes in your eyes could pull me in,  
>  and I'll blissfully drown in the worlds within."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *** Camellia Flower** \- Admiration; Perfection; Gift to a Man; A Pink Camellia flower means _'Longing for You'_
> 
> I don't even know. I got poetic in this chapter. Don't look at me.


	12. Red Lipstick and Dressed for the Kill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“When in doubt, wear red.”_ — **Bill Blass**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bring on the hot Jaeger Siblings. 
> 
> Alright, No more poetic shit. Back to the fierce, deliciously bitchy fashion!
> 
> Warning my Reiner/Eren NOTP shippers. There is some very light Reiner/Eren going on in this chapter so if you don't like it, feel free to skip it.
> 
> ***** Fanart of Mikasa with her fierce outfit was done by my amazing, wonderful, darling Paulinkaaxx! You're a doll and your art is always so amazing! Mwuah!

"You _what_!?" I nearly screamed. 

Mikasa sighed as she rested her forehead against the cool kitchen table top. Her large, charcoal eyes staring blankly at nothing in particular. 

"I lost my job. My boss got bought off by some rich bastard and they laid everyone off. I just found out today." there was hint of annoyance in her voice but for the most part, Mikasa was trying to be calm about this whole situation. 

I sighed softly through my nose and gave her a sympathetic look. Mikasa had been working at that Boutique since we graduated from High School and it had been her pride and joy. She was one of the best damn salespeople during her season period and the owner of the boutique liked her so much they promoted her to store manager in under two years. Now she was jobless and I felt so fucking bad for her. I could tell Mikasa was more upset about the whole situation, more than she'd ever lead on. 

"What a fucking asshole, waiting to tell everyone until literally the last fucking minute." I grumbled. Just then my dad walked into the kitchen with a newspaper in one hand and an empty cup of coffee in the other. 

"Language, Eren." he warned. Then after setting the newspaper down on the table, he moved toward Mikasa and kissed her on the forehead lightly. "Don't worry, Mikasa. With your experience and talent with clothes, I'm sure you'll be able to find a new job in no time at all." 

Mikasa only gave a soft smile and an even softer 'Thanks' but I could still see how upset she was. I wished I could do something for her. Just then, my bluetooth device beeped and I had an incoming call to answer. With Fashion Week right around the corner, I was working even when I wasn't at work. With a frustrated sigh I took the call with a pen and paper ready just incase, 

"Eren Jaeger." I answered simply. "Yes, black table cloths. Please tell me you didn't screw up Levi's instructions." I pinched the bridge of my nose and paced the length of the kitchen. "Napkins? Didn't Levi specify-- what? He didn't? What color should the napkins be? Uh--" I looked around the kitchen for some kind of clue. 

"Silver napkins." Mikasa said blandly. "They'll stand out against the black." 

I blinked at her for a moment before deciding that silver napkins would probably be good. Actually, a silver and black color scheme would be perfect. 

"Silver napkins, and make the gift bags black with silver ribbons. You know what, just make everything Silver and black. I'll be by the venue later on today. Thanks." 

I ended the call and looked over at Mikasa who was still pressing her cheek against the table top and staring blankly at nothing. Then an Idea hit me. 

"Why don't you come work at Recon Magazine with me?" I asked with a smirk. "You know clothes, and with Fashion Week coming up we're always short handed." 

Mikasa perked up at my suggestion but she eyed me suspiciously. 

"That's a wonderful idea." My dad smiled. "Mikasa, he has a point you know. Even if it's not really what you want to do, at least it'll keep you on your feet for awhile." 

She looked about ready to oppose when I interjected her quickly, "You always say a job is a job, isn't it? Well, I'm offering you a job and it would be hypocritical of you to refuse." I reasoned. She gave me a cold look which I promptly ignored. 

"Do you even have the power to give me a job at the company like that?" She grumbled. 

"Not really, but Armin does. All I have to do is put in a few good words for you."

I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket as I nibbled on a bagel with my free hand. I thumbed through my contacts until I saw Armin's number and I selected it putting the call on speaker as the phone began to ring. Armin picked up on the second ring. 

_"Eren, what's up?"_ Armin's sweet voice answered on the other line. Mikasa and my dad sat a little straighter in their seats. 

"Hey, Ar. I know it's really early and all and you're probably just getting to the office but do you think you could help me out with something?" 

_"It's no problem. I can see what I can do. What is it?"_

"Well, Mikasa needs a job and I figured with Fashion Week nearly here Recon could use the extra help. Do you think you could look into any openings even if it's just temporary?" 

_"Hmm. You're right. Recon is always short handed during Fashion Week. Okay, I'll see what I can find for you!"_

"Thanks, Ar. You're the best!" 

Armin chuckled, _"No problem. Tell Mikasa and your dad I said 'hi'."_

I looked up at my dad who was smiling widely and Mikasa looked about ready to cry. Geez, this family of mine. I shook my head smiling as well. 

"Got it. See you at lunchtime." I ended the call and Mikasa shot up from her seat and pulled me into a dead hug. 

"Thank you." she whispered. 

"Oh, come on. Don't get all sappy on me now, Mika. It doesn't suit you." I gave her a quick squeeze back before we pulled away and I flicked her forehead lightly making her recoil. 

"I gotta go. If Armin finds a job for you I'll let you know." I stuffed the last of my bagel into my mouth and pocketed my phone before rushing out of the kitchen.

\- ◆ -

_"How's the shoot going?"_ Levi's bored voice came through the other end of the phone.

"It's going great, Petra is handling everything flawlessly. I feel like I'm not even needed here to supervise." I chuckled. 

_"That's expected of Petra and the others. But don't think just because they're handling everything so well that you don't have to pull your own weight, brat."_

I snorted and rolled my eyes, "Are you forgetting who you're talking to here? I'm not that annoying horse-faced idiot who's always slacking. Give me some credit, would you?" asking for Levi to give you credit was like wishing on a rainbow for a pot of fucking gold. 

_"Whatever. What about the preparations for Fashion Week?"_

"Ah, about that. I decided to have everything be black and silver since you wanted black table cloths. I hope that's fine?" 

_"Hmm."_ Levi hummed thoughtfully. _"That's fine. Just make sure it doesn't look tacky."_

"Gotcha. Once the shoot is over I'll head straight to the venue and see how the preparations are going. Did you need me to do anything else?" 

_"No. Just take care of the shoot for the supplement layout and keep me up to date."_ Levi ended the call and I gave my ear a break from being constantly pressed to the phone this morning. I should have been used to it by now, honestly, answering endless phones all day. 

"Mr. Jaeger?" a small girl said as she come up to me with a notepad in her hands. I looked at with a small smile and I could have swore I saw her blush but I brushed it off. 

"Yes? What is it?" 

"Um, Miss Ral is asking you to come and look over the proofs because she wants your opinion on the first batch of photos." she spoke quickly while fidgeting. 

"Oh, okay. Thank you, uh," 

"Nifa." she smiled shyly. 

"Thank you, Nifa." I gave her a polite head nod and then I was started cutting my way through toward Petra who was standing by some computer monitors with Erd and Gunther. 

"Eren! Okay, we just finished the first batch of photos but we need your opinion on them since this concept was your idea. What do you think of these so far?" Petra motioned toward the monitors as Bertholdt sat in chair and started clicking through the slides of photos. 

I narrowed my eyes and pursed my lips together as I studied each photo carefully. They were all more or less the same picture. The mother and the daughter were sitting on a bed with the little girl wearing a cute sun dress and the mother wearing a little black, sleeveless dress and a string of pearls. They were both smiling as they posed but something felt off about the photos and I sighed. 

Erd and Gunther exchanged knowing looks with Petra who was beaming. 

"They're not very good, are they?" she asked, a chipper tone in her voice. 

"It's not that they're not good but the whole thing just feels so... fake." I said honestly. "How about we just move on to the next batch." I suggested. 

"Wow, Eren. You're really starting to sound like a veteran at this stuff." Gunther teased. 

"Yeah, if I didn't know any better I would think you'd been doing this longer than any of us." Erd chuckled as he squeezed my arm lightly. 

"T-Thanks." I said awkwardly. "I'm nothing compared to Levi though." 

"Damn right you're not." Auruo's haughty tone of voice came from just behind me. I somehow managed not to roll my eyes. "I can't believe he a brat like you in charge of supervising the entire shoot." he grumbled. I think there was actually someone who was as big an asshole as Jean and his name was Auruo. 

I pulled on my best smile, "I'm sorry you feel that way, Auruo. But with Levi being so busy with Fashion Week, I figured it was the least I could do to help lesson the work load." 

"Isn't he just a sweetie pie?" Petra gushed. "Okay! Models back on set!" she clapped her hands together loudly before walking away and I heard Erd and Gunther snickering about something Auruo was grumbling about as I turned to walk away. 

The small girl from before, Nifa, was calling me to back dressing rooms suddenly and I followed after her. Apparently I needed to give the green light on the outfits for the next set and I internally groaned but remembered to take this task as seriously as possible. I may not have been an expert on clothes and designers like Levi or Hanji but at least I had an inkling of what looked decent and what looked awful. 

I was left alone in the dressing rooms with the racks upon racks of endless designer clothes. I sifted through them halfheartedly, curling my lip in horror at a particularly bright neon spandex dress. Yeah. That was not going to be on any of the models any time soon. Not if I could help it. 

"I'm going to need you to take off all your clothes." a familiar deep voice purred from behind me and I startled slightly. Turning around I saw Reiner leaning against the door frame of the make shift dressing room with a sly grin on his face as he eyed me hungrily. 

"Jesus, Reiner. You scared me." I sighed with relief. 

He chuckled before he stepped into the small room and shut the door behind him. Then he was practically strutting his way over to me. I bit my lower lip slightly as I eyed the tight red polo shirt he was wearing with the collar popped. Fuck. He looked hot. He finally closed the distance between us and I felt his large hands go to my hips, pulling me toward him until we were chest to chest. He smelled so damn amazing and I was reminded of our cozy night a couple of weeks ago. 

"Missed you..." he groaned huskily as he pressed his lips to mine slowly. 

I bite his lower lip and pulled on it playfully before I pulled away and smirked at him. He returned it with a smirk of his own as his lips moved from my lips to the underside of my jaw and then to my neck where he started to kiss me feverishly. He pulled the collar of my cardigan down a bit to give himself better access to my neck and I gnawed at my own lips trying to swallow the little noises that wanted to escape me. 

"Yeah?" I teased through a breathy groan, knowing Reiner wouldn't be able to resist. As I guess, he started attacking my neck relentlessly and I chuckled before moving to push at his chest signaling him to stop before things went too far. As tempting as it was to let Reiner continue his ministrations, I was still working and I definitely wasn't about to turn into Levi. Mixing business with pleasure. 

"Reiner." I warned when he wouldn't stop sucking on my neck. He gave a frustrated sigh before his lips were unlatching from my skin and he rested his forehead against my shoulder as I tickled the short hairs at the nape of his neck. "Sorry, but I'm working." I mumbled apologetically. 

"You're _always_ working, Eren." Reiner said with a crooked smile once he lifted his head to look at me finally. "But I understand it's because of Fashion week and we both have our hands full. So I'll tell you what," his hands moved from my hips to my back as he hugged my waist and I let my arms rest around his neck loosely. "As soon as Fashion Week is over, we'll go on a date. Like a real, genuine date." his grin widened. 

"Okay. You've got yourself a date." I said, returning his smile. He leaned down a bit and kissed me softly, I felt his hands trailing down the small of my back until he eventually groped my ass firmly and I giggled into his mouth before squirming away from his hold. 

"And then," he sang as he turned around to face me, I was already walking toward the door doing my best to adjust my cardigan so I didn't look like I had just come from making out. "We can go back to my place and I can make you scream my na-" 

"Reiner." I warned again, glaring back at him playfully. He only chuckled in response. "No more sneak attacks in dressing rooms." I pointed a finger at him and he pouted adorably. 

"Can you blame me, though? I feel like you're teasing me coming into work wearing those tight clothes everyday." He laughed. 

"After Fashion Week I'm all yours, so chill."

"Good." he drawled as he followed me out of the dressing rooms. 

Reiner and I parted ways and I hoped we didn't look too suspicious coming out of the dressing rooms together. I suddenly felt a bit self-conscious about the tingling sensation left behind on my neck from where Reiner had been sucking fervently moments ago. I tugged the collar of my shirt up as high as it could go and prayed the slightly red and irritated spots on my neck wouldn't bruise... much. 

"Eren!" Petra waved me down and I quickly remembered that I was still at work and I needed to focus. Don't think about hot, ripped blonds. Don't think about hot, ripped blonds.

\- ◆ -

Armin called me as soon as I got into the Survey Corp building. I had just come from checking things over at the venue for Recon's New Year's Fashion Week and I answered the call on my way toward the elevators.

 _"Eren!"_ Armin chirped excitedly as I answered the phone. 

"Hey, Armin. Tell me something good, buddy." I smiled as I stopped in front of the elevators, waiting for the doors to open. 

_"I asked around Recon to see what departments needed the most help and the beauty department is ridiculously short handed right now. Sasha is going to be one of the Top 10 New Designer's to watch and she's having trouble balancing her regular work on top of preparing her line for Fashion Week. Do you think Mikasa would be fine with filling in Sasha's spot as a seamstress? She'd basically just be taking the model's measurements and helping them put their outfits on before they hit the runway."_

"That's basically what she was doing at her old job." I snorted. "Yeah, Ar. I think she'll be fine with that. Thanks again, I really owe you." The elevator to my right finally opened and luckily it was empty so I boarded it quickly. 

_"It was no problem at all. If Mikasa is lucky, maybe she'll even land the job permanently."_ he chirped excitedly. I shook my head with another smile as I pressed the button for my floor. 

"I'll let her know as soon as I get the chance." I said before I ended the call.

The doors to the elevators were slowly starting to close when a large hand intercepted them and they stopped. I looked up from the screen of my phone to see Erwin fucking Smith boarding my elevator, looking impeccable as always in his tailored Armani suit and his hair groomed perfectly without a single strand out of place. I swallowed thickly and tried to hide my surprise with a polite smile. 

"Hello, Eren." his deep baritone echoed in the small elevator. 

"Mr. Smith." I boldly made direct eye contact with him before quickly looking away and smiling a little wider. 

Erwin reached across the elevator, leaning a bit closer toward me as he reached to press the button for this floor which was the 30th floor. He leaned so close that I could clearly smell the crisp musk of his cologne and _god_ , he smelled even better than Reiner. I saw the tiniest hint of a smirk ghost over that ever polite smile of his but I could see a mischievous glint in those calculating pale blues of his as he slowly leaned back in place. 

Okay, I wasn't about to lie to myself. I was definitely having some very lewd thoughts right about now as the elevator slowly took us to our destinations. A part of my mind, the part I was currently trying to ignore to my best abilities, was hoping he would just press me up against this elevator wall and cage me between those strong arms of his. I'd seen enough porn to know where make-out sessions in elevators eventually led to and I wasn't about to deny the fact that I could very easily see my legs wrapped around Erwin's waist with his pants down. I had to force myself to stop and think about Jesus because that's what I needed right now. Jesus... and maybe some holy water to cool me down.

I heard Erwin clear his throat softly and I flicked my eyes up to his face to find him already glancing at me from the corner of his eyes. 

"How are the preparations for Fashion Week coming along?" He asked politely. 

"Perfectly. I'm just coming back from checking on the preparations at the venue myself. Everything is coming together nicely." I explained quickly. Maybe I was just crazy or maybe I was feeling a little bold after my hot make-out session with Reiner earlier this morning, but either way, I leaned one of my hips against the elevator wall while the other jutted out slightly and I rested one of my hands over my hipbone knowing this position might be a little more than just titillating. 

I noticed the way Erwin's eyes flicked toward me more than just a few times and that polite smile was slowly starting to turn into the slightest of smirks. Erwin slightly raised one of his eyebrows quizzically at me and then the unexpected happened; he reached a hand over toward the collar of my cardigan and I felt the very tips of his fingers brush oh so lightly over the skin of my neck and I fought back shivers. 

I heard him hum as he seemed to be looking at my exposed neck and that was when I realized, shit, the marks Reiner had left me there earlier. I'd completely forgotten about them and now I was sure Erwin had seen them. 

"Mosquitoes?" I heard him purr. I felt my face heat up just a bit with embarrassment but the corners of my lips curled up slightly in a smirk anyway. 

"Yeah," I said just before the elevator dinged, signaling it had reached my floor first obviously. "Those darn pesky mosquitoes." I straightened up from my leaning position and stepped out of the elevator. I could hear Erwin's deep rumbling chuckle. 

"You might want to take more care in what you wear, Eren." I heard him say in a husky tone and I only smiled back at him as I walked away, swaying my hips a little as I went. I caught a glimpse of that smirk finally just before the elevator doors closed and damn if Erwin didn't know how to tease someone good. 

As I made my way back to my desk, I had to remind myself that I was still at work and I couldn't call Armin and gush to him like some teenage girl to their best friend about their crush. I was a mature 23 year old man and damn it, I was going to forget about this little encounter with Erwin like it didn't happen... at least until I was out of work and then I could call Armin and gush to him like a crushing teenage girl. 

When I got back to my desk finally, I noticed that Levi wasn't in his office at all. The door was closed and the lights were off which made me wonder if he was out to lunch with Hanji again. Shrugging, I sat down in my seat and powered up my desk top before I pulled my cell phone out remembered that I needed to call Mikasa and tell her the good news. I easily found and selected her number and waited as it rang for her to pick up.

On the first ring she answered. 

_"Eren?"_ her soft voice answered. 

"Hey. Be ready when I get off work, we're going shopping." I said, doing my best to bite back a grin. 

_"...Shopping? What for?"_

"Because starting tomorrow you're going to be working at Recon Magazine in the Beauty Department." I sang as I swiveled side to side in my seat. 

_"Oh my god, Armin was able to find me job?!"_ her disbelieving voice all but yelled. 

"Yep. So meet me at Manhattan Mall and we'll get you some new clothes for tomorrow. You know you want to." I smirked. 

_"Okay. I'll meet you at the mall and Eren..."_ she trailed off a bit. _"Thank you."_

I couldn't help but smile, "No problem. What are annoying bratty brothers for anyway?" 

"Bratty indeed." I heard a familiar low voice say. Levi walked slowly past my desk while reading some paper that were in his hands. Silver and Blue flicked up to glance at me and he gave me a cocky smirk. 

"Hey, I gotta go, I'll see you soon." I quickly ended my call with Mikasa and stood up to follow after Levi as he entered his office. 

"How did the preparations at the Venue look?" He asked as he kept his eyes focused on the papers in his hand. He rounded his glass desk and sat in his big swivel chair, not once taking his eyes off the papers. 

"Everything is going exactly as you asked. The only thing the coordinators messed up was the seating chart so I told them to leave that little detail to me since they obviously can't use their common sense." I said with a little roll of my eyes as I went to open the blinds in Levi's office.

"How the fuck did they manage to mess the seating chart up?" he asked, finally looking up from the papers in his hands to give me an incredulous look. 

"Apparently, they thought it was a good idea to put Lindsey Lohan next to Snoop Dogg." 

"Lindsey is out of rehab?" 

"I think that was just another false rumor." 

"Tch. Figures. Well, whatever. Let's go over the seating chart. The last thing I need is to have some kind of cat fight breaking out between Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton." 

"I thought they weren't feuding anymore?" I asked curiously. 

"Don't believe shit the tabloids print. The Kardashian's are always feuding." 

I shrugged. "Point taken."

\- ◆ -

As promised, Mikasa and I met up at Manhattan Mall after I got out of work. It was a bit chaotic with Christmas only a week away but we managed to brave the crowds somehow. Shopping with Mikasa has it's perks but it also had it's downsides. While trying to shop for her, she undoubtedly ended up shopping for me as well and by the time we got home we both had our hands full with various shopping bags. I didn't really mind getting new clothes, who would? It was just annoying when your sister was the one who was picking them for you.

Needless to say, I knew that whatever Mikasa picked out for me would look nice because unlike me, she was naturally gifted with great fashion sense. My dad was happy to find out that Mikasa had a temporary job for the holidays and that night we all decided to eat out. Come the next morning, however... Now, how does one Out-Hot their own sister? Especially when your sister is pretty hot? The answer: you don't. 

Mikasa and I walked into the Survey Corp Building the next morning and I swear to god, she had a soundtrack playing for her grand entrance. Not that I particularly minded if anyone thought my sister was hot, because she totally was. It just sort of bothered me that one of those people who was checking my sister out just so happened to be Jean. Little did he know, my sister was a Lesbian. At least that was a small victory over that stupid horse face. 

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwB-2-YQEy4) Mikasa looked stunning [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=136950687) a red, long-sleeved crop top paired with a leather jacket and a black pencil skirt with lace overlay. Don't even get me started on her make up. I always knew red was Mikasa's favorite color and she didn't disappoint when she walked through the lobby with her head held high and lips and nails painted the same color as her crop top. 

We were walking side by side but I definitely knew that it was mainly Mikasa who was getting all the looks of awe and I didn't mind at all. Plus, it was a no brainer. Mikasa was beautiful and was definitely proud to call her my sister. She walked with purpose toward the elevators, her dark eyes sharp with determination and hidden behind her sunglasses while her full red lips pouted slightly in a frown. The heels of her lace up boots clacked noisily against the shiny marble floors and her scarf flowed slightly behind her as she walked. She attracted the attention of both men and women.

We came to a stop in front of the elevators and she finally removed her dark sunglasses. I could see the slight apprehension in her eyes and it was probably the first time I'd ever seen that emotion in her normally stoic stare. I gave her a reassuring smile and placed my hands on her muscled shoulders. 

"Okay, are you ready for your first day at Recon Magazine?" I asked her slowly. 

"I was born ready." She dead-panned. I only chuckled and shook my head before pulling her into a hug. She rested her cheek against my shoulder, careful not to get her make up on my [white button up](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=136950652), hugging me back with just as much force as I was hugging her. 

"I know you'll do great." I said, stroking her short sleek raven hair a couple of times before I pulled away from her arms. "Armin and I will see you at lunch." Smirking, I flicked her forehead gently. She rubbed at the spot that was slightly red a little while smiling into her scarf and then she stepped into the elevator, her face immediately falling back into it's stoic default. 

As soon as the elevator doors closed, someone tugged me by my arm harshly and I turned around to see Annie of all people glaring at me intensely. 

"Eren, who was that woman with the red scarf just now?" she asked in her usual jaded tone but her eyes were burning with something I couldn't quite make out. 

"Oh, that was my sister." I said carefully at first. "Her name is Mikasa, she's going to be working in the beauty department with Sasha." 

"Introduce me." Annie demanded with a deathly serious look in her eyes. Holy shit, she _was_ serious.

"Sure, Annie." I smiled. I liked Annie in case I hadn't made that clear enough before. She was totally misunderstood by a lot of people and nobody ever bothered to look past her stone-faced expression. She only gave me a curt nod in response. 

"We're going to be having lunch with Armin so drop by our usual table and I'll introduce you then." Another nod and then Annie was walking away from me to go about her business as usual. I think it was pretty obvious why Annie wanted to be introduced to my sister. 

I was totally going to support this. If Annie and Mikasa got together it would be awesome. Annie was like my best female friend and after followed Sasha and Krista closely, but Annie was definitely my favorite. Yes, I have favorites. I'm shallow, I know. That didn't mean I didn't love all of my friends. Annie was just fun to hang around even if she was a bit on the quiet side. 

I hopped onto the next elevator and to my great misfortune, Jean had caught the same damn elevator and it was just the two of us and two girls from the Accessories department. I noticed the smug smile on Jean's face and I rolled my eyes doing my best to ignore the annoying bastard. 

"Didn't know you swung both ways, Jaeger." He practically sang. Lord, give me strength not to strangle him right here in the elevator. 

"I don't." I said tersely. God, couldn't he keep his big horse mouth shut and take a hint? 

"Oh? You looked pretty familiar with that hot Asian chick." I could practically _hear_ the smirk in his voice. Breathe Eren, just remember to breathe. "Do you know if she's single?" there it was. The golden fucking question. 

I finally turned to look at Jean and I smirked, "Why don't you find out yourself?" The elevator chimed softly signaling it had reached our floor finally and I all too happy stepped out first and started for my desk with a small grin on my face. 

Jean was in for a surprise if he actually tried to hit on Mikasa only to find out she's a lesbian. I knew my own sister, she was a lot like Levi in her blunt, straight-forward nature never one to beat around the bush. I had faith that Mikasa would do her best to humiliate Jean for even trying to flirt with her and I thoroughly looked forward to seeing it happen and I didn't have a doubt in my mind that it would.

\- ◆ -

Later on, Mikasa had met Armin and I at the cafeteria. She gave a small smile and a wave as she sat down next to me with her salad and vitamin water in hand. We both drank vitamin waters like it was our life. She liked the Dragon Fruit flavored one which I couldn't understand why because it tasted like skunk piss to me and had a nasty aftertaste.

"Mikasa, you look great!" Armin complimented her outfit of the day. 

She smiled shyly, "Thanks, Armin. I was worried it might be a bit too much for the first day." Mikasa poked around at her salad with a fork. 

"Well, you are working for Recon Magazine. I think that alone gives you enough excuse to dress like that." 

"Plus, it's Fashion Week. Everyone's clothes are a little eccentric." I added, taking a sip from my own bottle of vitamin water. 

"So, how are the others treating you in the beauty department?" Armin asked curiously. 

"They're all really nice with me. Sasha was sweet and showed me the ropes as best she could." Mikasa said after she swallowed her first bite of salad. 

"Don't be surprised if you find some crumbs in the clothes sometimes. Sasha has a bad habit of eating while she works and she loves potato chips." I chuckled. 

"Too late. I found a half-eaten baked potato in one of the shoe racks and Sasha had been going crazy looking for it." Mikasa giggled. I was glad to see that she was enjoying her new job so far. 

I saw Annie coming our way with a tray of food of her own and we locked gazes. I smiled big and wide at her as I waved her down to come and sit with us and she swerved through the crowds of people and tables to make her way over to us. 

"Annie!" I greeted excitedly. "You're not busy, right? Have lunch with us." 

"Hey, Annie." Armin greeted cheerfully. Annie gave the tiniest of smiles to the both of us before she set her tray down. 

I could already see Mikasa eyeing Annie interestingly and I decided that now would be the perfect time to introduce the two of them. Oh, man. I was turning into Hanji. 

"Mika, this is Annie Leonhert. She works in the Art department but she sometimes helps out Sasha in the Beauty department." I didn't need to introduce Mikasa. She was more than capable of doing that herself and she did. 

"Hello. I'm Mikasa Jaeger, I just started working in the Beauty department today." Mikasa reached a hand out for Annie to shake. 

Annie slowly took her hand and I swear, I saw sparks. I know, I'm being dumb but I know I wasn't the only one who saw those god damn sparks because when I glanced over at Armin I saw him smiling just as widely as I was. It was official. We had to get Annie and Mikasa together. 

"So, Annie. Did you hear about the Silva vs Velasquez fight?" I asked. Here was the thing about Annie and I's relationship. We bonded over watching ripped guys beating the shit out of each other in cages. That was it. I was an MMA nerd and so was Mikasa, so I knew this conversation would catch her interest. 

Annie nodded, "It's going to be on Pay-per-view Christmas Day. Reiner and I are going to watch it." 

"You watch MMA?" I heard Mikasa ask. Check and Mate. My plan was working. Another nod from Annie.

"Annie's fanatical about it." I joked and I felt a hard kick under the table that I knew was Annie. I only bit my lip and swallowed a cry of pain knowing this was all for the greater cause. 

"Eren and I always watch MMA Fight Club together." Mikasa smiled into her scarf. I noticed Annie smiling down at her own salad now. (What was with everyone and salads?)

"You guys should come over to our apartment and watch it. We're going to have a few friends over anyway." Annie sort of mumbled. "If you want." 

"That sounds like fun." Mikasa looked over at me, something shining in her dark eyes. 

"Sure. We'll be there." I smiled. 

"You can come too, Armin." Annie looked over at the other blond who nodded. 

"Eren, you know where our place is already. The fight starts at 6pm." 

Mikasa sent me a long stare after hearing that and I swallowed nervously. Right. Mikasa didn't know about my relationship with Reiner. Not that there really was a relationship. So far it was one night of casual, drunken sex, a promise of a date and some hanky panky in between like yesterday for instance. 

"Eren." Mikasa's stern voice suddenly called. "I've been meaning to ask, but what are those marks on your neck?" 

"Nothing." I smiled as I reached a hand up to pull the collar of my white button up slightly. "Mosquitoes." I coughed, remembering my awkward run in with Erwin yesterday. 

"It's winter, Eren. There are no mosquitoes in winter." I heard Armin laugh and I shot him a glare. Some friend he was. 

"Ugh, fine! I'm kind of seeing someone..." I sighed in defeat. 

"So that's why you didn't come home that night from the club." Mikasa said under hear breath. Then she slapped me on my shoulder. "I was seriously worried about you." she glared. 

"He spent the night at our place." Annie added helpfully. 

"Armin, did you know about Eren seeing someone?" Mikasa asked, cornering Armin who only gave her an apologetic smile. She sighed, "Well, who is it?" 

As if on cue, Reiner came strutting in all his tight shirt, tight pants, ripped, sexy hotness. I saw the impish grin on Armin's face before he even did anything and I probably should of kicked him or something before he could call out to Reiner but it was too late. Armin is evil. 

"Reiner!" he called a little too excitedly and I gave him a 'Don't you dare' look but he ignored it as he waved Reiner down to our table. 

"Hey, Armin." Reiner greeted coolly once he closed the distance to our table. "Hey." he purred as he eyed me. Well, fuck me sideways. No really, fuck me sideways. Reiner was too hot for his own good. 

"Annie invited us to your place Christmas Day to watch a fight." Armin elaborated, a little too cheerfully. I take it back, Levi isn't the devil incarnate. Armin is.

Reiner's thin brows shot up in surprise as he looked over to me, then Mikasa then back to me. He patted Annie on the shoulder and she shrugged him off harshly frowning. 

"Reiner, this is my sister Mikasa. She just started working with Sasha in the Beauty Department today." I spoke up finally. 

"Oh yeah? Hey, I'm Reiner." He reached one of his large hands across the table to shake Mikasa's. "I work in the Style department. Guess I'll be seeing a lot of you." He smiled. 

Mikasa shook his hand and returned his smile politely. Reiner stuck around for just a bit longer before he left to meet with Bertholdt downstairs. They were going out for lunch. It's not like the cafeteria food was bad, it wasn't, but eating out wasn't a luxury people like Armin and I got the chance to do being the Assistants to very important people. We needed to be close to the office and to our bosses at all times but it came with the territory. 

Mikasa turned to me and grabbed my hands suddenly and I looked at her with confusion written all over my face. She stared at me with a serious look in her eyes for a little while. 

"Eren, I'm not disappointed in you." she finally said and I only blinked at her. That was like Mikasa's weird way of telling me she approved of Reiner. Not like I needed it anyway, it wasn't like he was my boyfriend... yet. 

"Reiner's not a bad guy. He's just really annoying sometimes." Annie said as she crunched on a crouton. I snorted in amusement at her words. Reiner and Bert were like her brothers, everyone knew she'd do anything for those two and they'd do anything for her. 

Annie stuck around and chatted with Mikasa for awhile longer. Armin and I did our best to give them their space since we both noticed how interested they were with each other. Annie's eyes were kind of twinkling and she had a very faint smile on her face as she and Mikasa talked about their interests a little more. The same with Mikasa. Her normally stoic features were a little softer as she talked and laughed with Annie. There was certainly a lot of chemistry between the two of them, that was for sure. 

Armin and I still had about 20 minutes left in our Lunch break but with just one look we both decided that we'd leave Mikasa and Annie alone for the remainder of lunch. We stood up from our seats with the excuse that our bosses needed us and we both threw our trash away and hurried out of the cafeteria. We snickered like a couple of little kids on our way to the elevators. 

"So, how long do you think it'll be before they become official?" Armin asked once we were in the elevators. 

"Three weeks. Tops." I said smirking. Armin gave me a cheeky grin in return and I knew that meant nothing good. 

"Let's make a bet then. You say three weeks, I say two weeks. Loser has to pick up both Erwin and Levi's dry cleaning for a week." 

Oh, Armin was good. I knew that taking this bet meant I was basically setting myself up for defeat but I'm Eren fucking Jaeger and I never back down from a challenge. I shoved my hand into his waiting open one and squeezed it tightly as we shook on it. 

"You're on, Arlert."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eren. No. You know you can't win. Also, Mikasa's outfit if my masterpiece. So fucking proud of that shit right there. 
> 
> Aw shit. Y'all know what next chapter is gonna be about~ MMA fights and sexual tension! Also, the climax of Eren and Reiner's whatever-it-is. Next chapter will be the end of the ReiEre arc.


	13. Somewhere Only We Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“My look is a cocktail. I’m not as nicely turned out as the french, but I don’t care like the English.”_ — **Jane Birkin**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I wanna just say I'm fucking sorry for kind of going on a weird hiatus for awhile.  
> I've been in an awful mood since last week and dealing with some personal problems and just couldn't deal with writing this chapter for the life of me. I had awful fucking writer's block for this chapter too. I knew _what_ was going to happen, I just had zero motivation to write it out.
> 
> Anyway, this probably really got off point from where I originally wanted it to go but I'll take what I have and run with it because I am NOT about to delete this chapter. So it started off as ReiEre but ended up turning into unintentional Ereri. Heh.

Mikasa and I arrived at Reiner, Annie and Bert's apartment around 5pm. The fight wasn't until 6pm but we wanted to avoid any holiday traffic jams since their apartment was a little farther from our house. Dad was fine with us going out. We normally celebrated Christmas as a family on Christmas Eve anyway so we didn't need to feel guilty about spending Christmas Day with our friends. Not that Dad would really mind anyway. Mikasa and I had both pitched in to buy him one of those fancy back massage things so we were sure he was probably enjoying the peace and quite while using his new gift. 

Annie answered the door and she gave the tiniest of smiles when she saw it was us. I immediately leaned in and gave her a hug and a cheerful 'Merry Christmas' which she returned quietly and then she let us in. Their apartment was nice and toasty and Mikasa and I gladly shrugged off our coats and scarves. I left Annie to show Mikasa around the apartment and made my way over toward the couch where Reiner was already occupying with one of his arms hanging over the back of the couch. Bertholdt was doing something in the kitchen.

I couldn't exactly 'sneak up' on Reiner considering their front room was basically just one giant, open space with nothing to separate the living room, kitchen and foyer. Just one huge space. But it didn't stop me from slinking around the back of the couch, lightly draping one of my hands over Reiner's massive shoulder and leaned in close to the shell of his ear. I gently blew a hot breath and Reiner's body went rigid, he stiffened so quickly I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from breaking out into laughter. 

He craned his neck back and I leaned forward until we looked like were re-enacting that one stupid kiss scene from Spider-Man and he gave me a toothy grin. 

"Looks like Santa finally came with my present." Reiner chuckled. 

"Oh, were you expecting me to come wrapped with a bow?" I snorted. 

"Now, that would have been a nice gift to wake up to." 

"You're such a perv." I slapped him playfully on the shoulder 

"You never complained about it before." Reiner laughed. 

"Yeah, whatever."

Mikasa and Annie quickly got cozy at the bar near the kitchen and before long Armin had arrived and then Sasha and Connie followed a little later. I was hoping no one invited Jean and Marco and to my great pleasure, they couldn't make it to the party. Good. I didn't feel like putting up with a pissy horse today. 

Bertholdt came out of the kitchen after awhile and handed everyone a mug of his special eggnog. According to Reiner and Annie, Bert's eggnog was the best thing in existence. 

"Damn." Connie said after his first sip. "This is some good shit." 

"Told you Bert'd eggnog was amazing." Reiner yelled from the pantry. He was looking for plates. 

"Sasha's already finished her first glass." Connie gaped at his girlfriend who was now bounding over toward Bertholdt for a re-fill. 

"She does know it has alcohol right?" I asked, nursing my own mug of eggnog. 

"I hope so." Connie grumbled. 

Reiner came back shortly after with paper plates in hand. He gave them to Bertholdt before heading back into the living room where he plopped down on the large sofa next to me. He draped an arm around my shoulders and I awkwardly leaned into his side. If there was one thing I'd learned about Reiner is that he was the affectionate type. He loves to cuddle, hold hands, hug, kiss all the time. I found it cute but I wasn't exactly use to such open displays of affection. Not that I minded, really. 

"Hey! The fight is gonna start soon!" he called out to everyone else who were gathered in the kitchen draining Bert's eggnog. 

Annie and Mikasa came out together with cups of fresh eggnog in hand. They both took up the empty leather love seat that was angled toward the big screen in the living room. Armin and I exchanged knowing looks, I waggled my eyebrows in a suggestive manner and he simply smiled and shook his head. He also didn't miss the chance to remind me about our little bet about Mikasa and Annie. Yeah, we're pretty childish but oh well. 

Armin and Bertholdt came and took the other side of the sofa where Reiner and I sat while Connie and Sasha took to sitting on the rug in front of the tv. Sasha was sitting in Connie's lap and he had both of his arms wrapped around her. 

"Aw shit, here comes all the light-weight starters. Damn, I wish it was the main event already." Reiner grumbled. 

"Just sit back and enjoy the carnage." I said with a chuckle as I rubbed his arm lightly. 

Through out the first few warm-up fights, Reiner would alternate between whispering in my ear or nibbling on my earlobe. It was distracting and a little bit embarrassing considering we weren't technically a couple but I could see myself being with Reiner like this all the time after I got used to it. I snuggled in a little closer after awhile with Armin and Mikasa giving me looks that I ignored. 

"Aw shit! Here comes Silva and Velasquez! Kick his ass, Silva!" Reiner cheered. 

"Reiner, no way are you rooting for Silva. Everyone knows Velasquez is gonna tear him up." Connie laughed. 

"Dude, no way. Silva has everything on Velasquez, just sit back and watch him kick some ass." 

Connie scoffed. "You're gonna eat your words. The biggest always fall the hardest." 

"He's known for being relentless for his foot stomps but that right hook can do some damage. His strength is ridiculous." Annie mused from across the room. 

"Velasquez is the world heavy weight champion, he's beaten Silva before and he'll do it again." Mikasa added. 

"Yeah, but just look at the way he uses his height and weight to overwhelm Velasquez. They don't make them like Silva anymore, he's a fucking _beast_." 

"Velasquez' overhand right is what's gonna fuck him up." I said, never taking my eyes off the moving figures on the big screen. "That move is one of the trickiest to avoid because he doesn't throw his arm out to the right, he throws it over the top." 

"Fuck," Reiner groaned. "I love it when you talk dirty like that." his husky voice said next to the shell of my ear causing me to blush furiously. 

"R-Reiner!" I hissed softly moving away from him. Jesus, he was going to make me pop a boner in the middle of this fucking fight. 

The rest of the fight, I did my best to pay attention to what was going on on the screen instead of what was going on in my pants. Reiner kept teasing me relentlessly throughout the fight and in the end, I couldn't even concentrate anymore. 

"Oh, damn! There goes that overhand right Eren was talking about! Silva is down!" Connie cheered from the floor. 

"You know, it's kind of sad that you guys didn't place a pot on who would win what rounds. Eren would have made some pretty good money." Armin supplied helpfully despite not really being a fan of MMA. 

"Shit, you're right Armin. Why the hell didn't I think about that." I whined. 

Suddenly Reiner was standing up from the sofa and bringing me along with him. I cocked a questioning brow at him, he only smirked as he started leading me toward the hallway. 

"Hey, where you going Reiner? Don't want to watch the rest of the fight because Silva is going to lose?" Connie taunted with a smirk. 

"Yeah, yeah." he waved the others off.

I noticed that he was leading me toward his bedroom and I looked back see if Mikasa wasn't going to try kicking his ass or something but to my surprise, she was distracted with Annie and still watching the fight. I let out a small sigh of relief but then I noticed Armin with the biggest shit-eating-grin I'd ever seen and I rolled my eyes. 

As soon as we were in the privacy of Reiner's bedroom, he shut the door behind us and pushed me gently down on the bed as he loomed over me. He leaned down and captured my lips in a heated kiss that I quickly returned. Our lips smacked together loudly in the quiet of his room, the only sounds heard from the living room where Connie and Sasha's cheering and the blare from the big screen. 

He bit my bottom lip and tugged on it gently while one of his hands snaked up my shirt and cardigan. He immediately started playing with one of my nipples and I gasped at the sudden pinching sensation. Reiner took the opportunity to dart his tongue into my mouth where he skillfully started wrestling mine in a fight for dominance. His hips rolled against my thigh and I could feel his dick already hardening against me the more he moved. 

I smirked into the kiss and let one of my hands snake down between his legs and palm at the growing bulge beneath his denim jeans. Reiner groaned into my mouth at the new friction I was providing and soon as he was grinding his hips into my hand as I continued to palm him faster. We broke away for air, panting harshly with saliva dribbling down our chins. 

"Fuck, Eren." Reiner growled as he closed his eyes and bit his lip. 

I couldn't help but chuckle at his helpless expression as I stayed palming him, alternating my speed between fast and slow. "Is this your way of trying to forget Silva lost the fight?" I purred into his ear and felt him shudder. 

"Damn, you figured it out, huh?" He said with a strangled laugh. "Nah, I've been trying to get you alone since the moment you walked in the door." 

Reiner started attacking my exposed neck soon after as he continued to play with my nipples and I closed my eyes relishing in the attention he was giving my body. I felt his teeth scraping against my skin and I could feel myself hardening by the second the lower Reiner's mouth descended. I let one of my hands card through his short, blond hair as my hips rolled up to meet his and I moaned softly at the wonderful friction we were creating. 

Suddenly, my cell phone started ringing but I did my best to ignore it. Whoever it was could wait. I started pulling Reiner's shirt off and he only stopped attacking my neck with open-mouthed kisses briefly so he could pull the clothing off and over his head before he threw it on the floor. He then went right back to kissing and licking the underside of my jaw as I rolled my head back and to the side to give him better access. 

My phone had finally stopped ringing and for awhile I thought that would be it but when Reiner started trying to take my clothes off, my phone started going off again. Shit. 

" _Shit!_ " I huffed out as I dug around my jean pockets in search of my phone. Meanwhile, Reiner was pushing my shirt up and sucking on one of my nipples. 

I finally fished out my damn phone and I squinted at the name flashing across the screen as I tried to think more clearly. 'Short Satan' was calling, Levi was calling. Damn it. He always had such impeccable timing. I stared at the screen in my hand contemplating if I should ignore it the way I had before or if I should answer it. I worried my bottom lip between my teeth as I tried to think of the right decision but my mind was currently so muddled that I couldn't think straight. 

"Reiner, wait. I think I need to take this, it's Levi." 

Reiner groaned loudly before he pulled his mouth away from my nipple and looked up to stare at me incredulously. I shot him an apologetic look and slid my thumb across the screen of my phone to answer it before it went to voice-mail. 

"Levi?" 

"Tsk! It's about damn time." he growled. I was already starting to regret answering his call. 

"What is it?" I sighed. At this point, Levi knew how I was already and I had no qualms with showing how annoyed I was by his phone calls. 

"I need you to call and get me a fucking ride. My town car fucking broke down on the way to the Givenchy party and I'm out here in the middle of fucking nowhere and it's fucking snowing and cold as balls."

"You're what!?" I squeaked. Reiner gave me a confused look at the noise. "How the hell did that happen?" 

"Like fuck if I know, Eren! If I knew why the fuck I got stranded I would have already fixed the god damn problem myself but since I don't, I need you to call me a fucking cab or something!" He snapped. 

"Levi, there aren't any cab company's running today. It's Christmas day. Everything closed early." I reasoned. I knew he wasn't going to like that answer at all. 

"I don't give a shit who you have to call, Eren. Call a god damn team of sled dogs, get fucking Old St.Nick to come on his sleigh of reindeer, just DO something!"

I sighed heavily, "Okay! Fine, I'll tell you what. Just tell me where you are and I'll figure something out."

Levi then started giving me some rough instructions of what part of town he was stuck in and once I had gotten all the info I'd need we hung up. Sighing once more, I pocketed my phone and looked down at Reiner who was giving me a knowing look frowning. 

"So, what does the King of Mean want you to do for him now?" he drawled the last word out with a roll of his golden eyes. 

"I think I have to go pick him up. He's stranded somewhere." I replied with an apologetic look. Reiner sighed just as heavily as I did and he buried his face in the crook of my neck. "I'm sorry." 

"Eren, that guy is such a prick. He's making you drive all the way out to god know's where to pick him up because he's stranded on Christmas Day." 

"I know he can be an asshole Reiner but he's still my boss and it's fucking Christmas. I can't just leave him to freeze his ass off as much as I'd like to." 

Reiner picked his head up and we both just stared each other down for a few seconds. Reiner's eyes asking me to stay and just forget about Levi and my eyes challenging his stare with a mixture of determination and finality. Finally, his broke his stare first and sighed again before he eventually crawled off me. 

"I guess there's just no convincing you, is there?" He said with a halfhearted grin as he snatched his shirt up from the floor and tugged it on. 

I sat up on the bed and smiled ruefully at him. "No. I'm sorry. You know I am, but it's work." 

"When _aren't_ you working, Eren?" Reiner said almost bitterly. "That little midget has you on a short leash most of the time." 

I furrowed my brows a bit at Reiner's sudden change of attitude. Where the hell did that come from? 

"Reiner, I've wanted this job since I was in high school. I've worked hard to get here and Levi isn't all that bad." I sat up on the edge of his bed and adjusted my clothes. My boner from earlier completely gone now. Why did I feel the need to defend Levi all of a sudden? That's just weird. 

Reiner scoffed, "They don't call him the King of Mean for nothing, Eren. He's an asshole and everyone knows it. As far as I'm concerned, you don't owe him anything." 

I gave Reiner an incredulous look for a moment. Was he serious? Okay, yeah. I get that Levi is a major asshole most of the time if not all of the time but did he seriously not understand the opportunities Levi has given me? I've always been pretty quick to anger and I was doing my best not to lash out at Reiner right now but... old habits die hard. 

"You don't get it." I shook my head. "Yeah, Levi is a fucking asshole and I know that better than anyone after working with him for almost two fucking months but to say I don't owe him anything isn't exactly true." I stood up and took a few steps over to Reiner who stayed with his arms now crossed over his chest while he stared at me expectantly. "Look, I know it's going to sound weird but... I've really come to respect Levi's work ethic and nobody deserves to be stranded in the middle of nowhere on Christmas Day freezing their ass off. Even Levi." I chuckled softly at the end of my sentence and made a move for Reiner's door. 

As I reached for the knob to leave, Reiner stopped me with one of his strong arms and he pivoted my body to face his. He leaned in and kissed long and slow, unhurried and completely sweet before he pulled away and sighed again. 

"You're crazy, you know that?" he grumbled before a smile slowly started to replace his frown. 

"Tell me something I don't know." I huffed childishly and Reiner finally laughed. 

"Damn, so rain check on that date after Fashion Week?" he asked leaning his forehead against mine giving me the most adorable puppy eyes a man of Reiner's size could give me. 

"Yeah, sorry." 

He gave me another quick kiss on the lips and then he was walking me back out toward the living room where everyone had left and were gathered in the kitchen probably getting buzzed off of Bertholdts spiked eggnog. I pulled Mikasa aside and told her about Levi calling me, obviously she was upset. 

"So, what? You're going to go pick that asshole up even after he pulled that shit on your on mom's birthday?" she spat quietly. Her tone full of disdain and venom as were her dark, pointed eyes. "If you ask me he deserves it. Karma is a bitch." 

"Mikasa," I said exasperatedly. "Would you stop? He's still my boss and it's fucking Christmas Day. I'm still pissed about mom's birthday but I'm not so heartless that I would leave him out in below freezing weather while it's snowing. Even he doesn't deserve to die of hypothermia." 

Mikasa gave me an unreadable look for awhile, her near black eyes boring into mine before she finally sighed and dug around her pockets for the keys to her car. I say her car because she's the only one who could afford a car, even if it was kind of old but it was reliable. She handed me the keys roughly and then pulled her scarf up and over her mouth. 

"Just be careful..." she mumbled out and I grinned at her. 

"You know I will." I reassured her anyway with a light rub to her shoulders. I gave her a quick peck on the cheek and then started throwing my coat and scarf back on. 

"Hey, Eren. Where are you going, man? The party is just starting! Ymir and Krista aren't even here yet!" Connie called, poking his shaved head out from the kitchen. 

"Eren!! We were just about to make mini-pizzas!" Sasha joined Connie in poking her head out from the kitchen door and pouting at me childishly. "If you're leaving, can I have your mini-pizza?" 

I laughed and shook my head, "Sorry guys. Something came up and I gotta go. I'll try and come back soon but if I'm not back in two hours then yes, Sasha. You can have my mini-pizza." 

"Yay!!" she squeaked before darting back into the kitchen tugging Connie along with her. 

Mikasa gave me a worried look but I simply shrugged it off and made my way toward her 1997 red Jeep Cherokee that was parked on the street about a block down. I hopped into the driver's seat and started up the car letting it warm up a bit before I sped off down the street. I ended up having to call Levi a few more times to get a better idea of where the fuck he was stranded at. Half an hour later I was pulling up into an empty parking lot in the worst part of Hunts point. 

Levi was leaning against his sleek, black town car dressed impeccably as usual. He had half of his hair slicked back slightly and despite the slight chilly wind that had picked up since it was now well past 9pm, he didn't have a single hair out of place. He looked pissed as fuck though as I pulled up but when I got out of the car his features smoothed out ever so slightly. 

"Eren? What the hell are you doing here, Brat?" he asked with a hint of surprise in his voice but his facial expressions betrayed nothing. 

I buried my hands deep into my [jacket](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=137929369) pockets and hunched my shoulders up high as I shivered from the cold winds. It had only been snowing light flurries but I was sure that by the end of the night, new york city would be blanketed in a beautiful sheet of snow. 

"W-Well, you said to do s-something so I did something!" I gritted through chattering teeth. Fuck, how was he not a fucking Popsicle right now? 

"So you drove all the way here to pick me up? Are you fucking crazy?" Now he was frowning at me and something close to concern flashed through his mismatched eyes but that was laughable at best. Levi Ackerman, concerned for someone else's well being? Impossible. 

"Would have rather I left your ass here then?" I couldn't help but laugh. Then I noticed something I probably should have noticed first, "Where's your Chauffeur?" I looked around curiously for a uniformed man anywhere and my brows furrowed when I saw no one but Levi. 

"I fired him." He said quietly and he scowled down at the tarmac. 

"You fired your Chauffeur?" I asked incredulously. I couldn't believe that... no, on second thought, I could actually see that happening. "Jesus Christ, Levi. You're telling me you've been out here all by yourself?" 

"Tch, so what? It was his fault for not doing his fucking job right. He's in charge of making sure the car is in top shape so shit like this won't happen. I have no patience for fucking morons." He spat, crossing his arms over his chest. The sleeves of his long coat riding up slightly and showing off the crisp french cuffs of his white button up. 

Finally fed up with standing out here bickering like an old couple in the cold, I sniffled a little before I finally sighed. 

"Whatever, let's just g-get in the damn car before we both die of hypothermia." I swiftly turned on the heel of my boots and started back for Mikasa's car that I left running so the heat was still on full blast. Behind me I could hear the sound of Levi's fancy dress shoes crunching against the thin layer of ice on the tarmac as he followed after me. 

I rounded the passenger's side of the car and held the door open for Levi as he gave me a questioning look, one of his thin, perfectly plucked eyebrows rising in a silent question.

"Your chariot awaits, your royal shortness." I snarked with a half-grin. 

Levi only reached a hand up and smacked me on the back of my head with a dull 'slap' but my grin didn't falter as he climbed into the heated jeep and I shut the door once he was settled. I quickly rounded back around the jeep and all but dove into the car to heat my frozen hands. I shut my door and rubbed my hands together quickly to get some feeling back into my fingertips. I wasn't even outside for more than give minutes and Levi's been out there for like an hour, what the fuck did he have some kind of heated jacket? 

Levi let out the smallest of sighs and I could only guess that he was more cold than he was letting off. I fiddled with the radio for a bit while we warmed up a bit and when I got annoyed with every damn station playing christmas songs, I decided to just pop in one of Mikasa's CD's instead. Lowering the volume just a bit, I turned slightly in my seat to look at Levi who was fussing with the [silky scarf](http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v1/763925804/Hot-Sale-Fashion-Men-s-cravat-font-b-tie-b-font-Paisley-font-b-Pattern-b.jpg) tied around his neck. 

"Are you wearing a cravat scarf?" I asked with a laugh in my voice. 

Levi glared at me in return, "It's an Ascot cravat tie and yes, I am wearing a fucking cravat. You got something to say about it?" he nearly growled. 

"No--no! It's just I've never met anyone who could actually pull that look off. It looks nice on you." I elaborated quickly. The last thing I needed was to have to deal with a pissy Levi on the drive back to wherever the hell it was I was taking him. It wasn't a complete lie though, the scarf did look good with the crisp white button up and the black pinstripe suit he was wearing. Levi lived up to his image of Editor-in-Chief of Recon Magazine. 

Levi Tch'd loudly before he turned his head to look out the frosted window, scowling. "Just drive, Eren." he mumbled. 

Was Levi actually being shy about something? A compliment no less? I shook my head a bit as I buckled up and put the car in reverse. _Levi Ackerman acting shy? That would be the day._ I back us out of the empty lot and put the car in drive before speeding down the slightly slick streets. The good thing about this was since it was Christmas Day, the roads were practically empty. At least until we got into upper Manhattan. 

"So, did you want me to try and get you another town car so you can go to the Givenchy party? If I call around, I'm sure we could get you there by 11pm." I asked, keeping my eyes firmly on the bumper to bumper traffic in front of us. Typical. 

Levi was quiet for a moment and if I hadn't known any better, I might have thought that maybe he had fallen asleep which would have been a pain in the ass but to my fortunate luck he spoke up after a moment. 

"Nah, just forget about it." he sighed. "I think I had enough with the Versace Gala. Donatella really went all out this year." 

I pursed my lips and nodded in understanding. "So back to your place then?"

"Tch. Where else, Brat?" 

I couldn't help but chuckle, Levi could be such a brat sometimes. I'd never say that to his face though. 

"Just asking." I shrugged. 

We fell back into a comfortable silence after that. The traffic barely moving an inch as the minutes ticked by and when we finally did start moving at a speed that wasn't a snails pace, I glanced down at the radio clock on the dashboard and realized we'd been sitting in silence for at least a half hour. When the traffic came to another lull, I turned to Levi and decided to dig my own grave and break the silence. 

"So, how was your Christmas?" I asked conversationally. Levi didn't even spare me a glance as he continued to stare out of the passenger's side window. I huffed, "Oh, come on, Levi." 

Again, I was met with silence. So, it was time for me to break out the big guns. The song that came on next was one that I recognized painfully well since Mikasa and I usually sing it together in long car rides. [(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KHJKj9GgsI)

"Okay, if you don't want to talk then I guess I'll just have to sing." I announced, sitting a little straighter in my seat. The look Levi gave me could scare even the biggest, most fearless men but since I was used to it by now, I simply grinned at him. 

"You fucking wouldn't..." he growled in that low timbre of his. 

"Oh, I would." I sang, my grin only widening. 

"Eren, I swear to god if you even--" 

"I walked across an empty land I knew the pathway like the back of my hand" I took a deep intake of breath before I started the next verse but before I could start singing, Levi practically lunged across his seat and he clamped a gloved hand over my open mouth. 

"I mean it, Jaeger." He warned. "No. fucking. singing." I blinked a few times before I eventually just shrugged and he finally let his hand drop revealing the huge shit-eating-grin on my face. "fucking brat..." he grumbled as he sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Hey, at least I didn't start singing a Christmas carol." I laughed. 

"If you started singing a Christmas Carol I would have pushed you the fuck out of this car and left your ass in the street." 

I gasped dramatically, "You _wouldn't_!" 

"Jesus, Eren. You're just as annoying as Hanji sometimes." he huffed exasperatedly. I only just shrugged again. "Why are you so damn curious about how my holiday went anyway?"

"I'm not curious, if I'm being honest. I'm just trying to make conversation so the time can go faster. At this rate I'm going to die of boredom sitting here in this damn traffic until I turn into nothing but bones." I whined. 

To my surprise, Levi chuckled softly at my complaints. When I glanced over at him, he had the faintest of smirks curling the corners of his mouth. That usual mask of indifference cracking just the slightest and I smirked back. 

"What?" I inquired curiously. 

"You really are a brat. Can't even go a few minutes without moving in some kind of way or complaining about things that are out of your control." he shook his head, that smirk from earlier now gone, his expressions flat once more. 

"You know, you always call me a brat but you don't look that much older than me." I said thoughtfully. The traffic started moving just a bit now. "Exactly how old are you, Levi?" I was genuinely curious to know. 

Levi was quiet for a long while. I decided to wait and see if he'd answer my question patiently in the meantime, if he was going to answer me at all, and focused on switching lanes to get off on an exit before we missed it. I don't know exactly how many minutes passed and before long we were getting off on an exit and I was driving toward Levi's swanky mid-town loft. 

"Thirty-Three." he finally spoke, breaking the lull in our conversation from earlier. 

"What?" I asked confused. I hadn't been expecting him to say anything since a good ten minutes had already passed since I asked. 

"Tch, are you fucking deaf? Don't make me repeat myself." he complained quietly under his breath. 

"Uh, sorry, it's just that I thought we were passed that topic since you were pretty quiet for awhile. You just surprised me." I admitted. With another silence falling over us, I let what Levi said sink in. 

He was thirty-three making him a whole ten years older than me. Well, that was kind of surprising. I knew he was older but I assumed maybe twenty-eight at the oldest. I guess Levi was just one of those types of people who had really good genes as they aged. Lucky bastard. I didn't realize I had been kind of glancing at Levi a little too much until his eyes caught mine, silver and blue meeting teal and gold and I snapped my eyes back toward the slick road in front of us. 

I heard him sigh again, "Can you be anymore obvious, Eren? Yes, I'm 33 years old. If you had asked me how old I was yesterday I would have said I was 32." he explained. 

Finally something seemed to click and I snapped my head to the side to look at him, "Today's your birthday!?" 

"Watch the road, Eren!" he snarled, snapping me out of my surprise and forcing myself to focus on the road once more. 

"S-Sorry," I stuttered suddenly feeling flustered. "But seriously, today is your birthday? Why didn't you say anything?" 

"Because it's nobody's damn business!" he snapped. I noticed the serious look in his mismatched eyes and decided that I should back off. The last thing I needed was to piss Levi off even more and make this drive even more awkward than it already was. 

I kept my eyes on the road in front of me and left Levi to himself as a thick blanket of silence fell over us once more. We drove like that another few minutes before I was pulling up to Levi's fancy apartment building. I'd been here plenty of times to drop off his dry cleaning or his cat or whatever else but I'd never actually been inside his loft. Just from the swanky exterior I could assume the inside of Levi's loft was probably just as nice, all nice and sharp, modern angles. 

I parked right in front of the double doors and left the car running, the silence still lingering heavily between us. Levi didn't move at first, from my peripheral view I could tell that he had a sour look on his face like he was deeply contemplating something. Since talking about his birthday was obviously off limits, I didn't want us to part on bad terms and have to face hell come next week, so I decided to take a chance. 

"You look constipated." I said with the most impassive expression I could muster, mimicking Levi's strange sense of humor as best I could. 

It seemed to have worked. He snorted in what I assumed was amusement and I saw one corner of his lips curl up again with a ghost of a smirk, then his eyes trailed over and finally met mine and I gave him a smug look. 

"Shut it, Jaeger." he said, amusement lacing his usually jaded tone. Finally, he made a move to get out of the jeep and I waited patiently until he was out. I didn't bother hoping for some kind of form of gratitude, it was Levi for fuck's sake, Levi never said 'Thank you' or 'I'm sorry'. That just wasn't who he was and in a strange way, I respected that. 

"Oi, Eren." his deep, smooth baritone called as he turned back to look at me before closing the passenger side door. I looked up at him expectantly but stayed silent. "See you at Fashion Week." and then he shut the car door and started walking toward his building. 

An idea struck me and I scrambled to roll down the passenger's side window before the man walking away from me disappeared before I got the chance to do this. He would probably either get pissed or annoyed but if it was the former, at least I could lock myself in the car before he killed me. 

"Hey, Levi!" I called from the warmth of the jeep. 

He came to an abrupt stop just before he reached the front doors of his building and turned to give me an annoyed glare. Yep, he'll definitely be pissed or annoyed when I say this. I hesitated for only a second before I beamed at him, 

"Happy Birthday." 

I didn't bother to wait and see what his reaction was, if it was anything like what I assumed it was going to be, which was that he'd be pissed and try to murder me, I simply rolled the window back up and pulled back out into the street before speeding away. Either way, I'm sure whatever his reaction was, I'd find out next week at work anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I kind of got nerdy with the MMA thing. I love watching guys kick the shit out of each other, sue me.  
> Also, I'd like to think that Levi wears the modern version of his Cravat from canon-verse so expect to see some more Levi wearing Ascot Cravat Ties/scarves. I find them quite dashing if worn the right way~ 
> 
> Also, I hoped I wouldn't have to explain this but I'll do it just to make it clear.  
> Reiner and Eren kind of come to a conclusion in this chapter that their relationship won't work out because  
> 1\. Eren is a bit of a workaholic, let's be honest. He takes his job seriously because it's his dream job to work for a publishing company he respects so much.  
> 2\. Reiner is super affectionate and maybe just boarder-line clingy. Eren realizes this during the fight when they're sitting together on the couch and Reiner is being all cute and cuddly with him, which he doesn't mind but Eren is extremely independent. I'm basing this off personal experience because I'm the same way, I honestly do not like clingy people who feel the need to be around each other _all the time_ and I imagine Reiner is the type of lover to want to see Eren all the time, cuddle and kiss at work, basically gush to the whole world about his amazingly hot 'boyfriend' and Eren just isn't like that. At least, not in this fic. I want him to come off as really independent and self-reliant. Someone who gets shit done without needing any help because that's how imagine him in my head even though sometimes he does need help. He's just too stubborn and determined to prove himself.  
>  3\. Eren and Levi, guys. Come on. Is there any other reason I need to give for why I ended the ReiEre? Gotta stay true to my OTP! 
> 
> So, yeah. Sorry if the way Reiner and Eren parted ways is kind of 'cold' or 'stupid' to some of you but I had my reasons.


	14. We're all Mannequins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
>  “Fashion is about the present and the immediate future. I think in terms of now.” — **Oscar de la Renta**  
> 
> 
> _R.I.P Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo. 1932-2014._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, sorry for the lateness of this chapter. This time it wasn't late just because of personal problems, I have two other ongoing fics that I'm trying to balance with this one.  
> I also just had so much to do for this chapter! There's also kind of a continuation to this!  
> This is all about New Year's Fashion Week! Finally!!  
> Anyway, I hope you guys like it! (I'm personally in love with the outfits in this~)

"Mikasa, if you don't get your ass down here we're going to be late! I'm not going to be chewed out by Levi because you can't find your damn keys now let's go!" 

"Hey, it's not my fault your boss is an asshole who wants you to be at the venue 30 minutes earlier than you actually need to!" 

I sighed as I slumped back against the front door. This was not happening. Levi had called me at 6am and told me he needed me at the venue 30 minutes early, which was why Mikasa and I were currently rushing out the front door of our house. 

"Bye, Dad!" I called as I sprinted out the door. 

"Have fun!" he laughed. 

"If we're not back by dinner time, there's some leftovers from last night." I heard Mikasa say from the porch before she closed the front door and jogged after me. 

I waited by the passenger's side of her car impatiently, rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet as the bitter cold of an early winter morning nipped at my face. I tightened my black scarf around my neck and tried to stop my teeth from chattering. I really did hate the cold after all. I was more of a Summer/Spring kind of guy. 

Mikasa finally unlocked her car and I all to eagerly hopped in to get out from the cold wind. I let out a tiny yawn as Mikasa climbed into the driver's side of her jeep and stuck her keys into the ignition starting up the engine and cranking the heat up. I breathed warm breath over my hands as I rubbed them together. I really needed to learn to wear gloves from now on. 

"So, am I going to get to see you at all today?" Mikasa asked conversationally, breaking the silence as we pulled out onto the slick streets. 

"Probably not. If I'm not following Levi around for most of the day I'll be running around making sure all the preparations for the show are in order. Sorry." I gave her an apologetic smile and she reached over and squeezed one of my hands. 

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just asking since Sasha wanted all of us to go out and celebrate afterwards if her show went well. She's real excited, you know?" 

"Yeah, I know. She's finally getting a chance to move onto the bigger and better things." we both smiled at each other as we fell into a comfortable silence the rest of the ride toward the venue.

\- ◆ -

Levi and his damn Cravat scarves. Currently, my boss was putting on a fake, charming smile for the cameras as he was being interviewed by several different reporters from several different tv stations while [wearing](http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1045395790/Fashion-Polyester-mens-font-b-cravat-b-font-font-b-tie-b-font-pocket-squares-set.jpg) an impeccably flattering suit and one of his fancy satin cravat scarves.

"What can we expect from Recon Magazine's Top Ten Designers to watch?" A blonde reporter asked, batting her eyelashes and smiling at Levi who in turn smiled back politely. The fake display was enough to have me internally barfing. If only they knew what Levi was really like. I sighed. 

"You can expect a lot from our Top Ten designers to watch. Personally, I think this year's batch of designers is our best yet." Levi answered elegantly. It never failed to amaze me how different Levi acts from his public image. By now, I was used to his short-tempered, foul-mouthed attitude that this polite, eloquent side of my boss was very surprising and also weirdly appealing. 

As I waited patiently for Levi to get done with his interviews, I took calls on my bluetooth and argued with the other event planners over the smallest of things. This all probably would have been a lot easier if Levi wasn't such a damn perfectionist and wanted everything a certain, specific way but I stuck to my guns and made sure everything was up to Levi's standards. 

"And make sure all of the gift bags are angled 90 degrees toward the front of the stage and there's at least two to three inches between every seat." I sighed. "then find a ruler! Just make sure the seats aren't too close together! Levi hates having people come into his personal space." 

"Me-ow. Someone is a little tense. Working hard, Pretty eyes, or hardly working?" an unfamiliar voice said from behind, catching my attention as I turned back to see Levi's photo journalist friend Farlan Church. 

He flashed a charming smile at me and I returned it with a sheepish grin, "Well, an assistant's work is never done." I held out my hand for him to shake. "It's nice seeing you again, Mr. Church." 

"Come on, just call me Farlan." the blond grinned as he took my hand and shook it firmly. It could have just been my imagination but I was almost sure he was rubbing soft circles into my palm before I retracted my hand and looked around awkwardly. 

"Um, are you enjoying Fashion Week so far?" I asked, hoping to strike up conversation and avoid any awkward silences. 

"I am now, that I'm talking a cutie like you." he almost purred. 

I swallowed thickly and rubbed the back of my neck nervously. This guy was cheesy as hell with these pick-up lines but damn did he know how to execute them well. Had it been any other guy who used that line it probably would have come off as weak and awkward but Farlan Church was the furthest thing from awkward. He reminded me of Levi, the way he seemed to carry himself confidently yet he kept a playful air about him. 

"I'm flattered." I said weakly, smiling and avoiding eye contact. Luckily (or unluckily. It depends on how you look at it.) Levi was now stomping over toward us, well more like briskly striding toward us, and I let out a small breath of relief when Farlan's attention wasn't solely on me anymore. 

"Eren." Levi's smooth voice called, there was hints of anger in it but I could tell he was trying to seem normal for the most part. What he was angry about, I could only guess. Did someone fuck up his instructions again? It was highly possible. 

"Levi. How did the interviews go?" I asked, turning my full attention to the short, slightly irritated man before me. 

"They went." he answered curtly. "Is our show almost ready?" 

"Not yet. I just got off a call with the coordinators and they're still putting out the gift bags and preparing the runway. Some of the models haven't arrived yet and the designers are having a meltdown." I reported quickly. 

"Tch. What's new?" Levi grumbled. Farlan simply stayed quiet and smirked as he watched Levi and I. "Get down there and try to get their asses in gear. We have a deadline we have to meet and I am not going to start the show even one minute late. Get me a drink while you're at it, I don't care what it is. Just make it strong." 

"On it." was all I said before I took my leave. I only stopped briefly to say goodbye to Farlan who looked like he was getting a pretty intense glare from Levi. I shrugged it off and went on my way. 

I needed to get down to our tent where our runway show would take place, but first I needed to get Levi his drink. I made my way toward the crowded open bar and pushed my way through the crowd ignoring any protests I received. One of the good things about working for an overly demanding man like Levi was that you had to be assertive to get things done and since working for Levi I found myself not caring what others think about me, as long as I do my job right that's all that mattered to me. 

"I need a Vodka Martini with lemon and make it strong." I asked the bartender who smiled politely at me. 

I watched as he reached for a martini glass and he was about to start preparing my drink when I had to stop him. "Could you wash that glass again?" I asked and the bartender shot me a confused look. I let out an exasperated sigh, "Could you please just do it?" 

The bartender said nothing and shrugged as he went to the sinks and rewashed the glass. To his annoyance, and mine, I asked him to clean it one more time knowing that if I didn't ensure that the glass was sterile Levi wouldn't even touch it. It was hard having a boss with Obsessive Compulsive tendencies but I wasn't about to half-ass my job just because of a little thing like this. 

When the Martini was done and made I thanked the bartender quickly and he smiled back at me in return before I was briskly walking back toward where I last left Levi and Farlan. I passed by some other employees of Recon who were slacking off and horsing around instead of doing something productive. I stopped briefly and snapped my fingers at them, getting their attention. 

"Don't just stand there doing nothing. Find something to do, we're on a tight deadline." they looked surprised when they realized I was talking to them and then they were scattering to hopefully go and find something to do.

I let out a heavy sigh and massaged my temples with my free hand. It was almost scary how much I was turning into Levi. Then again, I figured it was just the stress of Fashion Week weighing on me that I was acting a bit on edge with everyone. It was my first year participating in Fashion Week and I wanted everything to be flawless, so who could blame me for being a bit up-tight and wanting everything to go right? 

I heard a deep chuckle from off to my side, "You seem stressed, Eren." I slightly shivered at the way that familiar voice said my name. 

I turned to see Erwin Smith leaning against a wall, casually, like he was just any other person attending Fashion Week. With the exception that he was also wearing the most expensive looking black, pinstripe Armani Suit I'd ever seen him wear. Was it considered inappropriate to imagine undressing your boss's boss with your eyes? Well, if it was. I sure as hell didn't give a fuck at the moment. Erwin looked so good in that suit and I was almost positive that he was leaning in the position on purpose. 

"Stressed is an understatement." I laughed weakly before turning to face my employer properly with a smile. "Good Afternoon, Mr. Smith. I hope you're enjoying yourself." 

"Good Afternoon." He nodded politely in return. "I am enjoying myself, surprisingly. Levi really went all out and I must say, I'm impressed." 

"I'm glad." I smiled a little more widely.

"Drinking on the job, Eren?" Erwin asked in a teasing tone as he nodded toward the Martini in my hand. 

I glanced down at the drink in my hand before chuckling nervously, "Of course not, Sir. This is for Levi."

As if he had been summoned by just mentioning his name (which I wouldn't doubt he was because he was Satan after all), Levi materialized before us and without my noticing and I nearly jumped in surprise when I noticed sharp, silver and mercury blue eyes staring right at us from just a few feet away. Levi had his arms crossed over his chest tightly and it might have looked comical the way he sort of strode toward us with a slight scowl on his face but in that moment I could see that his irritation was beyond soothing with words or well, anything for that matter. He was pissed. 

"Good Afternoon, Levi." Erwin greeted coolly when he took notice of the short, angry man that was now only about five feet away from us. 

"Eyebrows." Levi said tersely. "I didn't expect you to be here so early." He scrutinized Erwin from head to toe before slightly sneering and turning his attention back toward me. I swallowed thickly when his mismatched eyes met mine. "Eren, did you get my drink?" he asked, disregarding Erwin's presence completely. 

My mouth sort of dropped open before I closed it and struggled to form words, "U-Uh, yeah! Here it is, Levi." I took a step closer toward my boss and handed him the martini glass. I could already seeing him eyeing it suspiciously, I cleared my throat. "I, uh, I made sure the bartender washed the glass in front of me. Twice." 

The slight look of surprise on Levi's face was only there for a brief second but I had managed to catch it, then that look of surprise melded into one of pleasant satisfaction before it was back to his usual impassive expression as he finally reached out for the glass and took it gingerly from my fingers. He swirled the drink around with an elegant flick of his wrist before he took a sip of the bitter drink. 

"Not bad." He said passively and I knew, in Levi language, that was the closest thing to a 'good job' and a pat on the back from him.

I let out a small sigh of relief and couldn't help but smile a bit as well before remembering I was still on the clock and time was short as of the moment, "Oh! I should go check and see if the tent is almost ready." I snapped. Turning back to Erwin who was casually sipping on a glass of scotch, I smiled politely as I excused myself. "It was nice seeing you, Mr.Smith. Please enjoy the rest of Fashion Week." 

Erwin gave a polite nod and another one of those devilishly charming smiles that made me want to melt in more ways than one and then I was on my way. This was no time to be thinking about screwing your boss's boss, Eren. Focus! Fashion Week. Fashion Week. God _damn_ , Erwin Smith looked good in that suit. Fashion Week. Fashion Week.

\- ◆ -

"Thank you all for coming to this year's Fashion Week hosted by none other than Recon Magazine and made possible by Erwin Smith." Levi announced as he stood at the end of the long runway, a slender hand motioning toward the blond man who sat in one of the front rows, a polite smile on his face as he was applauded. "Without further delay, please enjoy the show as we introduce our first designer of the evening."

After Levi finished his speech, he briskly stepped off the stage and took his seat between Farlan Church and two models, I could only guess. Typical Levi, I thought. Well, whatever. I stood off to the side of the stage, talking quietly into my bluetooth, going over last minute adjustments with the other coordinators. I watched, I applauded, I made sure everything was going according to Levi's instructions. So far, everything was going perfectly. 

"Eren!" Mikasa's frantic voice called out to me. I spoke much to soon. 

I turned around to see her looking just as frantic which was a unsettling look for someone as calm as Mikasa usually was. I glanced back at Levi to make sure he wasn't somehow sensing the panic welling up in me before I stepped over toward Mikasa who was closer to the back of the stage where the models were getting ready.

"Mika, what's up? What's wrong?" I asked worriedly as I placed both of my hands on either side of her shoulders. 

"Sasha's final model bailed out. They can't get a hold of him and another one of the models is sick." she replied in a rush of breath and she was ringing her hands together nervously. This was bad. Very, very bad. 

" _What!?_ " I squeaked quietly. Mikasa only nodded quickly in response. 

"You need to do something, Eren. Sasha is having a meltdown back there and none of us have any idea what we should do!" 

I sighed heavily and went into deep thought for a moment, "Okay, okay." I said calmly. "We'll--we'll figure something out. This is okay. Everything is fine." I felt like I was trying to convince myself more than I was trying to convince Mikasa that everything was going to be okay. My first time helping to plan Fashion Week and something like this happens. I knew it was too much to ask for things to go right in my life for one day. 

Mikasa then led me to the back of the runway where it was pure chaos with half naked models running around or getting their hair or make up done, the designers were all flustered and full of hyped jitters and had on expressions of confidence mixed with slight horror and nausea. I didn't blame any of them for feeling that way. 

When Mikasa finally led me to a corner where I saw a familiar messy mop of reddish-brown hair curled up into a small ball of sorts, I sighed and almost wanted to cry at the fragile state Sasha was in. She was hugging her knees up to her chest and she had her face buried in her arms that were crossed on top of her bent knees. 

"Sasha." I sighed as I crouched down to her level, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

Sasha's head shot up and her wide, frantic brown eyes searched around until our eyes met and I noticed the way her lower lip quivered before she was throwing herself into me, her arms wrapping around my neck as she clung to me. 

"Oh, Eren!" she sobbed. "I don't know what I'm gonna do! My final model is a no-show, one of my other male models is stuck in a bathroom puking his guts up and I don't have any replacements!" her words were muffled as she buried her face into my shoulder but I patted her back and nodded at the jumbled mess of words she was spewing. 

"Hey, hey." I cooed. "It's okay. We'll figure something out, I promise. This is your big day and we're not going to let anything ruin this for you. Even if we have to ask someone around here to model for you." I tried to reassure her but even I wasn't all that sure about how well that plan would work out. We couldn't just use any random model, Sasha's designs had already been tailored for the other model's specific body type and what were the chances of someone being nearly the exact same measurements as the model? Slim. The chances of that happening were extremely slim. 

Sasha's sobs were slowly subsiding and then she just went quiet. I still held onto her but she was practically stiff as a statue in my arms. It was like she went rigid. I was worried for a few seconds that she had shut down completely or something but then she was pulling away from my arms and looking at me wide-eyed all over again, only this time her wide-eyed look wasn't filled with horror but with hope. 

"EREN!" she screeched and I winced at the sudden volume of her voice. 

"Ow, shit! What?" I grimaced as I rubbed at one of my ears. 

"Stand up! Stand up right now and let me take your measurements!" she gestured wildly before she was shooting up to stand upright and scrambling off somewhere. 

I exchanged an odd look with Mikasa, to which she only shrugged and shook her head from side to side showing she was just as clueless as I was but I did as Sasha asked of me and stood up from my crouching position, straightening up my back. Sasha returned less than a minute later with a roll of measuring tape in her hands and she was immediately taking all of my measurements, asking me to turn around or spread my arms. 

Suddenly she was giggling almost manically. I briefly worried that maybe Sasha had finally snapped under all this pressure, "You're perfect..." she muttered to herself, a wide grin on her face and she was practically vibrating. I gave her a confused look for a second or two but then Sasha was bounding up behind me and shoving me off somewhere. 

"Mikasa!" she called back catching my sister's attention. "Could you find Jean and send him to me please? I know I saw him around here somewhere." Mikasa only nodded before she was disappearing back out into the fray. The faint bass of the runway music nothing more than dull sound as Sasha led me toward a back area lined with racks upon racks of clothes. 

"Sasha, what's up? You're kind of freaking me out here." I stressed and Sasha only waved off my looks of worry and concern. 

"I'll explain it in a minute when Jean gets here!" 

I grimaced at the thought of Jean. Why did she need Jean and I in the same room? Everyone who works at Recon Magazine knows that Jean and I can barely stand each other, Sasha should know it better than anyone. Sasha started fussing with my hair and I eventually relented and just let her do as she pleased. I would much rather have this Sasha over the mess of a person I found curled in on herself a few minutes ago. 

After several minutes of Sasha fussing with my hair, taking more measurements while muttering to herself like a crazy person (which didn't help the fact that her hair was looking a little more wild than usual with colored feathers in her hair), Jean mother fucking Neigh Boy graced us with his presence finally and upon seeing me with Sasha he narrowed his eyes and frowned. Yeah, same to you, Horse-shit.

"Sash, what's up? Jaeger's hot sister came and got me telling me to come over her asap." he completely ignored the glare I was giving him for referring to Mikasa as my 'hot sister'. 

Then, Jean was receiving the same treatment I was when Sasha bounded over to him and started taking his measurements with a demented look in her big, brown eyes. That excitement she was practically buzzing with from earlier returning. Finally, after molesting Jean and getting all his measurements Sasha beamed up at the both of us with a blinding smile. 

"Okay! Now that Jean is here, I'll tell you guys exactly why I asked you both to come back here with me so I could get your measurements." she paused for dramatic effect and I found myself actually holding my breath for what she was about to say. "I want you both to be models in my show!" she blurted out in one breath. 

There was another pause. A long one. Jean seemed to register what Sasha said a little more quickly than I had and the dumbass smirked cockily while holding his head a little higher, 

"Heh, well, I can't really say I'm surprised you'd want me to model for you, Sash. I mean, look at me." he shrugged. "I'm hot. But I think you might have gone a little nuts by considering Jaeger to model." 

I shot Jean a dirty look but it was quickly replaced with another look of shock when Sasha said, "Oh but he's the key part of making my entire show happen! He's going to be replacing my final model!" 

Jean's face mirrored my own shocked expression as his smug smile dropped so quick, at this point the both of us turned to Sasha with mouths dropped, eyes wide and in unison we both cried, 

" _What!?_ "

\- ◆ -

I can't believe I'm fucking doing this. I was standing at the end of the line up with the rest of Sasha's model, Jean standing just in front of me with a deep frown on his face. Needless to say, we were both unhappy with our current positions. Jean, because Sasha had dropped the bomb on the both of us that she wanted _me_ of all people to replace her final model and _not_ Jean and according to the horse-face, the final model was always the model everyone looked forward to seeing at the end of every designer's show. They were the ones who wore the 'it' outfit, the ones that were fussed over more than any of the other models.

I groaned quietly at the thought of having to walk down that runway in front of all those people. Celebrities, Fashion icons, Socialites, Cameras, reporters, Erwin fucking Smith and _Levi_. Oh god, Levi was sitting in the front row along with Farlan and Erwin Smith. There was no way they wouldn't be able to tell it was me. I was so screwed. But what could I do? Sasha was in a tight pinch and I definitely didn't want to see her humiliated because I refused. Damn it, why did I have to be such a good friend!? 

As Sasha's line was being introduced next by Levi, I did my best to calm my nerves. I was in no way a model, let alone a runway model. I've never been anywhere near a catwalk or a runway in my life. Sure, I'd seen dozens of models walking the runways all afternoon and grimaced whenever there was a slip-up but those models weren't fucking me. Now I was the one who had to worry about slipping up and falling flat on my face in front of hundreds of people and possibly having it all on tape and film to be haunted with for the rest of my life. 

Suddenly, Jean was turning back toward me. A frown still evident on his face but there was also a faint look of understanding. He sighed, 

"Look, Jaeger. I know we've never really gotten along and I still don't like the fact that Sasha chose you to be the final model and not me-"

"That couldn't be fucking _helped_ , Jean! Sasha said I was the only one who fit the last models measurements!" I interjected with a frown of my own, clearly expressing my displeasure with this situation as well. 

"-However," Jean stressed with a roll of his eyes, "You need to calm the fuck down and get your act together. I know for a fact that you don't have the first clue about runway, let alone walking one, but if you'd shut the fuck up for a minute and let me talk, I'll give you god damn tips to help you make sure you don't fall on your fucking ass, got it?" he hissed. 

I blinked a few times in confusion, "Why are you trying to help me, horse-face? I would think you of all people would just _love_ to see me fall flat on my ass in front of hundreds of people." 

Jean snorted with a smirk, "Hell yeah, I would. Shit, I'd pay good money to see that happen actually but that's not the point. As hard as it may be to believe, Sasha is one of my good friends and I don't want to see her humiliated in the least. Especially not because of your dumb ass. So, I'm not doing any of this for you. I'm doing it for Sasha because she deserves this." 

I nodded my head in agreement, "Now, that I can agree with you on." 

"Good. So, listen up. I took a few modeling classes back in high school- don't fucking ask, Jaeger - just remember the pointers I give you and try not to trip over your own feet." he huffed. I could tell he was trying not to run his hands through his hair that had already been meticulously combed and styled into place, as had mine. 

I stayed silent and decided to just let Jean give me the pointers that I knew I would definitely need if I was going to make it through this runway show without embarrassing myself and poor Sasha. He cleared his throat and stood a little straighter,

"Modeling and Runway is a lot like acting. Clear your face of all and any emotion, you're not a human being, you're a mannequin. You're Sasha's Mannequin. You don't feel, you don't express, you just wear the clothes and you wear them to their fullest. Got it? Just try and act like..." he paused in thought before smirking. "Act like Levi fucking Ackerman. The King of Mean." 

This time I was the one who snorted as I held back a smirk of my own, "I think I can do that." 

"Good. As for your walk, each model has a unique way of walking but it's all mostly the same thing. Try not to think about it because then you'll trip over yourself for sure and I won't ever forgive you if you do." He warned to which I met his pointed glare with a challenging one of my own. "In a way, it's good that you're the last model in all of the lineups. Just try and pay attention to how the other models walk, take mental notes and when you get up on that runway, remember; don't think, just do." 

I stared at Jean slightly taken aback, "That... was actually pretty good advice, Jean. Wow. I never thought there would be a day when you'd ever say something useful." 

Jean sneered, "Yeah, fuck you too. Now focus. The show is about to start. You may be the final model by default but I'm still gonna steal the show from you, Jaeger." he smirked and all that cocky confidence from before was back. I really hated this guy but at least I knew he wasn't a total fucking douche bag 100% of the time... maybe more like 99% of the time. 

Instead of responding to his pointless challenge of stealing spotlights, I simply rolled my eyes at him and instead focused on getting my game face on. Never in my life did I think I would be working a runway, granted, I never thought I'd be working for a high-end fashion magazine either yet here I was. My ears tuned into the sound of Levi's voice filling the entire venue almost through the sound system and I focused on his low voice. 

"_And now I'd like to introduce the final designer of the evening. Recon Magazine's very own Sasha Braus._" There was a roar of applause and I couldn't help but smile as I did a gentle applause of my own. From the corner of my eye I could see Jean doing the same. We were both proud of Sasha. 

Finally, Levi left the stage again and the upbeat music that the models would be walking to started up. The lights dimmed a bit and the lighted runway illuminated a little more brightly as the first models started taking turns one by one. The line was slowly starting get shorter and shorter and I felt my nerves return once more. Sasha and a few other make up artists were fussing over the models, fixing some last minute details before they took to the runway. 

I took deep breaths as Mikasa had come over and started fixing my hair for the umpteenth time but her quiet presence was enough reassurance for me surprisingly. Before I knew it, it was Jean's turn next and just before it was his turn to go on he glanced back at me and shot me a cocky smirk, straight, pearly white teeth and all. 

"Watch the master and learn, Jaeger." he laughed before he schooled his expression into something a little more serious but just as cocky and the bastard strutted out onto the lighted runway. 

I could hear the applause and quite murmurings of the crowd seated just beyond the stage and I took more deep breaths, in and out, trying to calm my frantically beating heart. I could do this. I had to do this. For Sasha. She deserved this. 

Jean was taking his sweet ass time strutting and posing and turning his body in all directions giving all the photographers and reporters the perfect view of the [outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=139648425) he was currently wearing which was a flannel hooded jacket with a plain white tee shirt underneath and dark wash jeans. Okay, I couldn't lie. Jean looked pretty damn good and his arrogance only added to his fierce look on that runway. I could only hope that I'd be even half as confident as that. 

Then I suddenly remembered Jean's advice and as much as I hated to admit it, he had actually gave some good tips. I just had to put on that same air of confidence Levi seemed to ooze on a daily basis and just let go. Like Jean had said; 'Don't think, just do'. I spent so much time with the man, the devil incarnate, that there was no way I couldn't already know Levi's attitude to the letter. 

"Eren!" Sasha whisper-shouted from behind me. "It's your turn! Knock em dead, gorgeous!" she encouraged and I took another sharp inhale of breath through my nose before I shot her a quick smile and then I was stepping up to the runway next as Jean was making his way to the back. 

"Try not to fuck up, Jaeger." he smirked as he passed me by and I only shot him a defiant glare before I got into focus. 

In a way, it was good Sasha and Mikasa had straightened and styled my hair so that majority of my face was obscured but I still had to make sure I wasn't grinning like an idiot. Runway models don't grin. They're confident, fierce, focused. So I would be all of those things. 

As I stepped out onto the runway finally, I let my mind go blank, no thoughts, no worries, just actions, instincts. [(X)](http://youtu.be/bS50SN_cXbQ?t=34s) The beat of the song we had to strut to was thumping and vibrating through my chest and I couldn't deny the adrenaline rush I was getting from it. A moment of bravery striking me as I straightened my posture and started strutting slowly down the runway. I had watched the other models all afternoon, I knew I didn't need to rush, I needed to give the audience a chance to look over every inch of the black, fitted suit I was wearing as my first [outfit.](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=139649354)

I gingerly made my way down the runway, my eyes obscured by my long hair in my face but I kept my gaze hard and focused and straight ahead of me. I didn't need to distract myself by trying to see the faces in the crowd that were mostly obscured by the bright lights illuminating the runway anyway making their figures and faces mostly black shadows and I surely didn't need to be distracted by the fact that as I neared the end of the runway, Levi and Erwin fucking Smith were sure to be looking directly at me. The last thing I needed was to choke and fall off the stage. 

Reaching the end of the runway, I knew I had to stop and pose which is exactly what I did. I halted my steps just a pace or two from the edge of the stage, turned my body slightly to one side while jutting a hip out and posing like that for a couple of long seconds before I was turning to the opposite direction and posing in a similar way. I did my best to keep my posture straight, professional. I was the suit. I was confident, demanding your attention and I had no doubt in my mind that I had all if not most of everyone's attention. 

I could hear faint murmuring and talking over the loud music that was still pumping loudly through my veins but I tried not to let it distract me as I turned and started strutting back down the runway so I could hurry off and change into my next outfit. I heard applause as I exited and only after I was safely off the runway and backstage did I allow a tiny, relieved smile make it's way onto my features, breaking the serious expression I had been sporting all that time. 

I didn't have time to celebrate my small victory however, the next I knew, Sasha was ushering me off somewhere and tossing a pile of more clothes into my arms telling me to change and change quickly. I didn't waste any time and immediately stripped out of the suit and tie and changed into the tight black pants, a loose fitted black tee shirt finished with an impressive leather jacket. Jean had also already changed into his next outfit which was a simple but very well fitted white button up underneath a red and black varsity jacket with the name of Sasha's line imprinted on the back and her initials patched and stitched on the front right breast. The stylists were fixing Jean's hair and spraying more hairspray to keep it in place and my eyes landed on Reiner and his team of stylists. 

Our eyes met and a dorky grin made it's way onto his face before he did a once over of me and wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively. I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head. Despite our awkward parting on Christmas, we still somehow managed to stay friends and not make run ins awkward which I was very grateful for. Reiner was a great guy and an even better friend. 

Jean and I lined up, ready to go out for our second showings and this time I was much less nervous. Even exchanging playful bickering and empty threats with Jean as we waited for our turn. When it was finally Jean's turn again, he shot me that challenging look in his bright, amber eyes and then he was off. Oh, it was on Pony-boy. 

As expected, Jean was his usual arrogant self as he worked the runway, even going so far as to be a little brave and pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek and cocking a perfectly plucked eyebrow at the crowd as he stopped at the end of the runway and posed some more. I only rolled my eyes at his cocky behavior. Still, this was a side of Jean I could actually admire just a bit. He actually had the potential to be a model and that, even I couldn't deny. 

When it was my turn to take the runway for a second time, I was much less unsure and stiff this time around and I relaxed a little easier as I stepped out onto the stage as Jean was making his exit. I decided, that since I was wearing the leather jacket, I might as well be a little brave myself. I added a little bit of swagger into my step, coolly making my way down the glass runway, the combat boots on my feet adding to my confidence. It was amazing how a simple change of clothes could change a persons entire demeanor. It was in this moment that I could fully understand why Levi and Hanji did what they did with such passion and persistence. Fashion was about so much more than just dressing a skinny size 0 model but about bringing a little thrill to the lives of everyone in the world, even if it was just in the form of a new dress or a new suit. 

Needless to say, I was starting to enjoy myself now that I'd finally gotten the hang of walking the runway but I nearly lost my bravado when I stepped off the stage for the second time and Sasha informed me that since I was the last and final model representing her line, I had one more outfit (the 'it' outfit) I needed to model for her and this time it would be a complete solo walk. 

I couldn't back out now, the show was almost over and this was the final part of it. There was no way I would chicken out. Not that I would anyway. Eren Jaeger does not chicken out or back down from a challenge. So, I did as I was instructed and changed my outfit as quickly as humanly possible. To my surprise, the last outfit was surprisingly simple, albeit a bit revealing. It wasn't like I hadn't posed in front of a camera half-naked before but that was in the privacy of a studio with a limited number of eyes on me. Not walking a runway with a handful of photographers snapping my photo as I posed and surely not with the owner of the entire damn company I worked for sitting in the audience. 

Regardless, I changed into the faded jeans, tore off my shirt before slipping on the minimal, black satin vest that was to be left open (according to Sasha) giving everyone a nice view of my naked torso. Okay, so I was just the tiniest bit self-conscious about wearing this particular outfit but it wasn't like I was out of shape or anything. I at least had some muscle to me. Sasha instructed me for the final bit, how I should look, how I should stop and pose and then she was sending me back into the fray. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jean frowning but I brushed it off. Not my fault the horse face was still raw about not fitting the bill for the final model. It wasn't like I had asked for this anyway. 

I took more deep breaths before I marched out to the intense lyrics of the song that was still playing loudly, the singer's rough, growl of a voice snarling the words _'We're all Mannequins built in a factory'_ and it brought something feral out in me as I strutted with a new attitude. Despite my hair covering most of my face, I still decided to give a look of pure defiance instead of just the usual monotone look. I acted like an exotic caged animal being viewed with hungry or awe-filled eyes and as I reached the end of the runway to stop and pose for the last and final time, I finally just let my body go with the flow and I hooked both of my thumbs into the pockets of the faded jeans I was wearing pulling them down slowly until the hem of the tight black boxer briefs I was wearing showed. 

I rolled my hips forward just a bit, flexing my abdominal core as I did so. I wasn't Eren Jaeger currently, I was somebody completely different. A wild animal trying to rebel against it's keepers. Something dangerous that shouldn't be messed with. I lolled my head to the side slightly, some of my long hair shifted and showed off my half-lidded eyes as I scanned the front row with a feral look in my eyes. I didn't break my character or falter. Not even when my eyes met the icy, calculating cobalt blues of Erwin Smith who was eyeing me with pure unadulterated desire. Not even when my eyes shifted and met those startling mismatched eyes of Levi's. Piercing silver and stunning mercurial blue burning into me, taking me apart piece by piece. The shameless spark of _'want'_ in their eyes had me sliding my jeans down just a little bit more with the faintest of smirks on my face. I could hear applause and cheering, for what, exactly, I wasn't sure but I quickly got a hold of myself and turned to pose in a different direction breaking eye contact with both men.

I continued my little act, eyeing the crowds, giving them the show they wanted, posing with Sasha's last outfit perfectly and then I was making my cool exit as the song finally ended. I heard another roar of applause as the show finally came to an end. 

Before I even realized what was happening, I was being attacked by Sasha as I hurried back stage. She jumped on me wrapping her arms around my neck tightly and then immobilizing me by wrapping her legs around my waist and we nearly fell back with the force Sasha's surprise koala bear hug but I somehow managed to keep up upright and from falling. I've never been more grateful for my naturally good balance before today. 

"EREN!!" She squeaked, still hugging me tightly like her life depended on it. "You were so great!!" 

I couldn't help but laugh as I hugged Sasha back just as tightly, I was still a bit high from the excitement of the whole ordeal. "Did I do okay?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer to that. 

"Okay!? You were _perfect!_ I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my show!! Eren, you're a life saver!" Sasha sounded on the verge of tears as she turned and pecked me on the both cheeks, her warm, brown eyes glassy and watery. 

I smiled warmly at her, Sasha really was one of my best friends and I'd do anything for her. "Anything for you, Miss Sasha Fierce." I kissed her back on her cheek and she gave a bubbly laugh at my actions. 

"Oi! Tryna steal my girl, Eren?" Connie's familiar voice called out to us. 

Sasha and I both turned in the direction we heard Connie's voice coming from and soon Sasha was leaping out of my arms and running up to her boyfriend with a huge grin on her face.

"Honey buns! Did you see it!? Eren was AMAZZZZING!!" Sasha was tackling her short boyfriend and I stifled a laugh as the two love birds fell to the ground with Sasha flattening Connie beneath her and he wheezed but he was smiling widely nonetheless. 

"I guess you didn't fuck everything up after all, Jaeger." Jean's annoying voice interrupted my good mood and I frowned before turning to look at him. 

"Can you go like one hour without being such a fucking dick?" I rolled my eyes at him as he smirked. 

"No." Jean answered honestly. "But at least it's better than being Levi's little bitch." 

"You sure about that, Jean?" I asked with a smirk of my own as I raised a brow at him. He the smirk on his face quickly dropped into a scowl. 

"Fuck off, Jaeger." he hissed through clenched teeth before he was stomping off. I sneered as he left. Good riddance. 

"Eren!" Sasha brought my attention back to her and Connie who were now joined by Reiner, Bert and Annie. "After the show is over we're all meeting up at a bar to celebrate! You have to come, pleeeeease?" she begged, batting her eyelashes at me. 

I smiled because how could I possibly say no? "Alright. Just text me when and where and I'll try and meet up with you guys after." I nodded. 

"Yay! See, Reiner! Told you he'd say yes!" the brunette poked Reiner in one of his massive pecs and the blond shrugged. 

Now that the worst and most nerve wrecking part was over, I moved to change back into my regular clothes. Overall, in the end, I was glad I did this. I didn't regret it. Well, okay I did kind of regret slutting it up at the end there in front of my boss and my boss's boss but when I thought about it, would Levi and Erwin have even recognized it was me in the first place? I mean, my hair was kind of covering most of my face so I found it kind of unlikely but the thought still worried me... just a little bit... a lot. 

Shaking myself from those thoughts, I weaved in and out of the crowd of half-naked models and busy stylists to go and look for my clothes to change out of this damn vest and jeans and cover myself up so that my body wasn't on full display. But as I made my way toward where I last left my clothes in a dressing room, I felt like every pair of eyes in the venue was on me, staring and following me in a less than innocent way. Fuck my life. Why did I have to get all confident, wild beast all of a sudden back there? This was going to be a long evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Eren. If only you knew what I have in store for you~  
> The chapter in which, all the horny (blond) bastards are after Levi's hottie assistant.  
> I love this chapter for so many reasons.  
> 1\. Jealous!Levi  
> 2\. Runway Model!Eren  
> 3\. Errbody hitting on that Jaeger Booty  
> 4\. Jean and Eren putting their differences aside for one day for the sake of a friend!  
> 5\. SASHAAAA FIERCEEEE  
> 6\. Erwin fucking Smith being a smooth mother fucker
> 
> OH! And there's kind of a second part to this and it's in Levi's pov~ -flys into the sun-


	15. Teal and Gold

Fucking Farlan. Fucking Erwin. Fucking everyone who's been trying to hit on _my_ brat. No, wait. That didn't come out right. I meant _my_ assistant. Right. Eren wasn't mine. A fact that only furthered to annoy me as I was forced to mingle with more god damn reporters and guests. I didn't want to fucking mingle with these annoying bastards. I wanted to go and find that god damn brat and just fucking _kiss_ him mad or some corny shit like that. 

Needless to say, I was frustrated. I had thought it odd that I couldn't find Eren for awhile. The last I had seen him, he was standing off to the side of the runway arguing with someone on his bluetooth. I hadn't expected him to just show up on the damn runway modeling Braus' clothing line and as her final model no less. I recognized him immediately. Even with most of his long, brown hair straightened and flattened down to cover his eyes and most of his upper face. How could I possibly _not_ recognize Eren? 

I couldn't keep my eyes off him. From the very moment he stepped onto the stage in the first outfit, a slim fitted black tailored suit that just hugged his figure nicely with a crisp white button up and a skinny black tie. He came strutting down the runway confidently, posture straight, straighter than I'd ever seen before and just oozing with pure dominance. It was a complete 180 degree turn from the Eren I was used to seeing on a daily basis. 

Jean was also participating in Sasha's show but he didn't catch my attention the way Eren did. Nobody could. When that brat got up on that stage, he demanded your attention. He didn't give you the choice to look away. Seeing him on the runway was a shock and if I were a lesser man, I probably would have been outright gawking at him when he came out in the last and final outfit. It was so simple, so minimal and yet Eren made it look like the most elaborate outfit in the world. 

It was a simple black satin vest, left open to reveal his perfectly tanned, toned chest and stomach. The sleeveless vest also gave the entire venue the perfect view of his long, muscled arms. It wasn't like I'd never seen Eren without a shirt before, but just the way he carried himself as he stopped at the end of the runway and posed right in front of me. I noticed that his gaze caught Erwin's first. I didn't have a doubt in my mind that the blond bastard probably knew this model was Eren. He was practically eye fucking him as Eren fucking hooked his thumbs into the pockets of the faded jeans he was wearing and rolled them down teasingly.

I bore my gaze back into Eren. _Willing_ him to look away from Erwin and to look at me. It worked. Those eyes shifted over toward me just as Eren was rolling his hips forward and I swallowed thickly, seeing the way his stomach rolled in one fluid movement, a slight arch in his back as he lolled his head to the side and I caught a glimpse of those beautiful bright eyes of his. He was staring right at me, a wild, burning look in his eyes. 

It lit something inside of me. Something dangerous and uncontrolled; Like a raging wildfire. Eren was like an elusive mythical creature. One moment he was there and the next he's gone. One day he's just my plain old boring assistant with no sex appeal at all and the next day, he's a fucking sex god and everyone wants his ass. It's my own fault, I know. But I couldn't help but feel possessive over him. It was petty of me, considering I treated him like shit the first couple of weeks he worked for me but I had definitely developed a soft spot for the kid. 

I was near the open bar at the end of the show, Hanji had somehow magically popped up out of nowhere and in typical Hanji fashion; she was gushing over Eren and how hot he was on the runway. As if I didn't already know. I had already downed three shots of Vodka and I still felt frustrated as fuck. Hanji wasn't helping. 

"You know, Levi. I think you need to just bed the poor kid already. You've clearly got it bad for him and you even said so yourself that you haven't slept with any of your fuck buddies in a month." Hanji reasoned as he took a swig from her Apple Martini. 

"I told you that was because of work, four-eyes." 

"When was the last time you slept with Jean?" 

"..." 

"That's what I thought." 

She was smiling smugly at me now and I rolled my eyes as I ordered another shot. I hadn't drank this hard in a while but with all that's been happening, I think I definitely needed it. As if my evening couldn't possibly get any better, Erwin mother fucking Smith came striding over to the both of us, that polite business-like smile on his face. And those eyebrows. Those fucking eyebrows. 

"Good Evening, Levi. Good Evening, Hanji." He greeted like the smooth fucker he was. 

I grunted in response, but Hanji just had to open her fucking mouth. "Erwin, _please_ tell me you noticed Levi's little Eren working it up on that stage! Our little grumpy-pants here doesn't seem to want to acknowledge the fact that his assistant was pretty hot stuff up there." 

Erwin chuckled lightly, "Well, I can't deny that I was captivated by Eren's appearance. I certainly wasn't expecting Levi's assistant to steal the show but I have to say, Eren really knows how to catch someone's interest." 

I scowled up at Erwin, I didn't give a fuck if he was my boss and we were still technically on the clock. I was going to give this bastard a piece of my mind. 

"Oi, Eyebrows. Instead of eye-fucking my assistant, how about you go and try to pick up more sugar babies at that Starbucks on Park Avenue? You know, the one you're _always_ coincidentally stopping at to get a coffee on your way to work." I sneered. Clearly the alcohol was playing a part in my behavior but I couldn't give much of a fuck even if I wanted to. 

The bastard barked out a loud, hearty laugh. "Oh, Levi. I could say the same for you, hm?" Erwin took a sip of his scotch and he smirked down at me. Yeah, fuck you too puberty. 

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" I said through gritted teeth. 

Erwin simply motioned with a nod of his head toward two very familiar figures standing rather close together. My eyes narrowed on Farlan currently cornering Eren who was fumbling to put his glasses back on and looking something like a sheep being hunted by a hungry wolf. I frowned and sucked my teeth before I straightened my cravat scarf and started walking over toward Farlan and Eren. From behind, I could hear Hanji's giddy laughter and Erwin's quiet chuckles. Fuck the both of them. 

"Eren." I called as calmly as I could. The kid's face brightened so much my heart nearly stopped. God damn it, I wish he wouldn't look at me with those big ass doe eyes of his like I just saved his life. Which I probably did. 

I noticed Farlan's back immediately stiffen but I didn't allow myself to smirk in satisfaction. I had to keep my face hardened into it's usual scowl so the little horny fucker knew he was breaking a rule I had clearly set for him weeks ago. 

"Hey, Levi." Farlan greeted nervously as he took a couple of steps away from Eren who seemed to relax with the added space. 

I eyed Eren up and down, making sure he was untouched. He had already changed back into his previous outfit, a smart black button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a skinny white tie that had previously been tied earlier in the day but was now hanging loosely around his neck now, black slim fitting jeans and a pair of black chukka boots. Aside from his bangs occasionally still falling in his face, Eren looked like his usual messily-but-well-put-together self. A look that I learned only Eren was able to pull off. 

"Eren, you can leave now. I'll see you in the morning." the quicker he left the venue, the better. I wouldn't have to put up with my boss eye-fucking him and my childhood friend trying to actually get in his pants. 

Eren blinked at me in confusion, those dazzling teal and gold eyes burning into me. "A-Are you sure, Levi? I could stay behind a while longer and help out with something. I don't mind." he offered, sounding almost hopeful. 

"Tch," I dismissed him quickly with a wave of my hand. "Just go, kid. I'm sure your friends are waiting to meet up with you somewhere. Go and do whatever it is brats like you do these days." smooth, Levi. Calling him a 'kid' and a 'brat' in the same sentence. You're a real fucking charmer. 

Despite my own thoughts, Eren smiled. He fucking _smiled_ at me and it was the sweetest god damn smile I've ever seen. My heart instantly started beating wildly in my chest causing me to swallow and drop eye contact with him. He was just too damn attractive, the kid didn't even know what he was probably doing to me right now. 

Eren laughed softly, "Okay. Well, Goodnight, Levi." he said with a certain fondness in his tone and I cursed myself for not being able to just fucking... _tell_ him how I fucking felt about him and his god damn smile and his eyes and his voice. All these things drove me crazy and I loved it. 

Eren made a move to leave but my mouth started speaking before I could stop myself, "And Eren," he paused, those jewel-like eyes locking with mine again. "Good job today." 

If I thought the smile he gave me before was sweet, this one was simply blinding. I had to look away before my eyes went permanently blind from the brightness of this kids smile. It wasn't enough for him to already be down right hot and attractive with his tan skin and fucking gorgeous eyes and messy but strangely endearing wind-swept hair, but his fucking smile was ethereal with the tiniest of dimples showing. Damn it, I had a weakness for dimples. 

"Thanks, Levi!" 

I decided that I liked when Eren said my name. It sounded completely natural, like my name belonged on the tip of that tongue. I would never admit to spending a few sleepless nights imagining what that voice would sound like moaning my name in complete and utter pleasure. Okay, I needed to stop that train of thought right now. 

"Yeah, yeah, Kid. See you at the office." 

Eren turned and left and I let out a mental sigh of relief. Good. Now I didn't have to be constantly watching the idiots ass in case some horn dogs decide to jump him. Speaking of asses, I most definitely was _not_ staring at his ass as he left. Nope. Not me. Farlan snapped me out of my reverie with his nervous chuckle and I fixed him with my best glare. 

"Oi. Just what the fuck did you think you were doing, Farlan? I told you Eren was off limits." I hissed. 

He held up his hands in a defensive manner, "Alright, in my defense, how could _not_ expect me to want to jump on that as soon as I got the chance? I know you said he was off limits but god damn, I didn't see you dragging his cute ass to one of the back dressing rooms before I did. I figured he was free game." 

I narrowed my eyes dangerously on Farlan's shrinking figure, I could see the way his adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously. 

"Eren isn't just some piece of ass for you to try and sleep with just because you think he's 'free game'. He's a human fucking being and he's my assistant and a damn good one at that, so if you don't fucking mind, hands off. I won't tell you again, Farlan." 

"Well, damn. Point taken." Farlan smirked but I could still see the slight nervousness in his grey eyes. 

"Good. Now go hit on some other drunk models. I'm sure there's plenty loitering around in the back dressing rooms puking up their salads." 

"Sure you don't want to join me in the 'Booty-lympics'? Last chance." Farlan waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner and I simply rolled my eyes. 

"Goodnight, Farlan." 

As I walked back to Join Hanji and Erwin, I could hear Farlan chortling as I left. Why I put up with his dumb ass, I'll never know. I sighed as I reached for the abandoned jigger of vodka I had ordered before I left to save Eren's cute little ass. I seriously needed to stop thinking about Eren's ass... and Eren's smile and his dimples. God, those dimples. 

"You're thinking about Eren again." Hanji's voice cut into my thoughts and I glared at her. 

"Shut it. Nobody asked you." 

Hanji threw her head back in raucous laughter, "Oh, Levi. You're so transparent when it comes to that kid. He's got your wrapped around his little finger." 

"Tch." 

I said nothing else on the matter as I threw my forth shot back and slammed the glass back down on the bar top. Fashion Week was done for today, I was tired and all I wanted to do was go home to my mid-town loft and relax. Hopefully not have to think about that damn kid and those eyes that liked to haunt me no matter what I did. 

It was strange, how a pair of eyes changed everything for me. Two months ago, I was Levi Ackerman; the notorious playboy with a string of bad past relationships behind me. Today, I was completely whipped for a 22 year old brat with far too much determination and passion for his own good and who just so happened to be the only person I'd ever given up my lifestyle for. Yeah, that's right. I stopped having sex with all my fuck buddies since realizing I had feeling for Eren. 

Suddenly Hanji was slapping me on the back and I stiffened at the contact. I narrowed my eyes dangerously at her and she only grinned back in response. 

"Come on, Mr. Editor-In-Chief! We need to go to a club somewhere and celebrate this very successful Fashion Week!" 

"Fuck off, shitface. The only place I'm going is home." 

"Aw, Levi! You're no fun anymore! Come on, it'll be fun! We'll invite Petra, Mike and Erd, Gunther and Auruo can come along! Even my Moblit!"

"How exactly is that supposed to convince me to want to go out?" 

"Uh, because we're all your most trusted and closest friends and you love us even though your cold, tiny heart will never admit it out loud?" Hanji was grinning widely at me, like if she just stated a fact. 

I snorted but decided to humor her, at least for tonight. "Whatever. You're paying for my drinks though." I started stalking forward and I could practically see Hanji rubbing her hands together like some cheesy super villain from a kids movie. I paused to shoot an accusing finger at her, "And don't invite that bastard Erwin. He's the last person I want to 'celebrate' with." I warned. 

Hanji quickly followed after me, a knowing grin on her face and a glint in her big, grown eyes. "Pfft, me? Invite Erwin? Noooo." she drawled. 

"Fucking glasses." I muttered under my breath as the two of us made our way out of the venue and into my town car where my new chauffeur was waiting in the car for us. 

Needless to say, I got shitfaced with Hanji and all my other 'friends' as she so lovingly called them. In the end, Hanji did invite Erwin to come out and celebrate with us and I was pissed about it at first. After a few more drinks however, I simply let it go. Erwin may have been a bastard who had the hots for _my_ brat, but he was still a pretty decent friend and an old one at that. I didn't remember much of the 'celebration' other than maybe Auruo almost getting into a fist fight at the bar and Erd getting slapped by a woman he was hitting on, but at the end of the night, my mind kept going back to teal and gold colored eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is such a ridiculously short chapter. I had more planned for this, I really did. But life hates me and I have a lot of stuff going on that is preventing me from writing super long, big ass chapters with over 10k words like I normally do.  
> The next chapter is going to be the start of a new arc though guys! The plot is going to start coming into play here again and I have a lot of shit planned for you guys (including Eruren, yess we're finally going to get to the Eruren and very, very soon the ACTUAL Ereri). So, I hope you're all looking forward to that!


	16. Mister Dangerous with a Golden Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > _“I like my money right where I can see it…hanging in my closet.”_ — **Carrie Bradshaw**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter was supposed to be up three days ago but my dog got horribly sick on Sunday and I had to stop everything to take care of her. On Monday night she died so I just didn't have any motivation to write anything and I hope you all understand why this update is later than usual. 
> 
> I thank you all for waiting so patiently for the start of the new arc, hopefully updates will come more easily but I can't say they'll be more frequent as life still hates me and I have a lot of personal stuff to deal with. Still, I don't plan on abandoning this fic or leaving it without an update for long periods of time. As long as I can write, I'll do my best to update this fic as often as possible! Thank you for understanding! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
> 
>  ****** Eruren smut up ahead here guys. If you don't like it, then I'm sorry but it's necessary for the plot of the fic! Just bare with me! For all my other Eruren enthusiast; hope you like this you kinky bastards!

"A woman named Kelsea called, she wanted you to know that she was, and I quote, "Thinking about you while in the bathtub today. I'll never forget the way your hands made me feel that night."" 

I heard Levi drop the pen he was using to write with and it clattered noisily on top of his desk catching my attention. I gave him my best 'I-am-so-done-with-this-shit' look and he only returned it with his usual impassiveness. The only signs of his shock from me reading his private messages out loud in the middle of his office was the pen falling from his grasp. He cleared his throat and I simply rolled my eyes,

"Would you like me to continue?" I asked with a sardonic smile and Levi sucked his teeth quietly. 

"Tch, I get it already. Enough with the god damn sarcasm." he grumbled as he resumed whatever paperwork he was currently going over. He also had several samples of the mock up book laid out haphazardly in front of him. 

"You know," I start as I close my notepad where I had written all of his messages, silently thankful that I didn't have to continue reading his embarrassing messages from his one night stands I was more than sure he'd probably never call again. Those poor unfortunate suckers. "I'm starting to think that you might have commitment issues."

Levi snorted and grey and blue eyes fixed me with a bored stare, "What gave you that impression?"

I shrugged casually, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's the string of not-really-lovers-not-really-one-night-stands I keep having to take messages for. Just a _wild_ guess." it surprised me how sarcastic I could be with Levi and still get away with it. I was almost too sure that had it been anyone else sassing him the way that I did on a daily basis, they'd have been fired from day one. I came pretty close though. 

"Jaeger." he warned in a low growl but I could tell there was no real threat behind his tone, as he kept his eyes trained on the mess of work strewn across his desk. 

I couldn't help but smirk and shrug once more as I was about to turn to leave. Surprisingly, I ran directly into Erwin Smith. Fuck. Think pure thoughts, Eren. Think about Jesus. Think about hot gay sex in a church, oh _fuck_ that's actually kind of hot. Fuck, no! Okay. Don't think about how fucking hot he looks in that suit today. _God damn it!_ I just had to let my eyes trail down to take in his suit. Way to fucking go, Jaeger. Can't I do anything my brain tells me to do for once in my life instead of always being the little rebel and doing the exact opposite? 

Erwin was [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?id=103902724) a slate grey pinstripe suit, double breasted, with his satin pocket square and matching satin, deep, royal blue tie and crisp, white dress shirt. I nearly face planted right into his broad chest but I thankfully managed to stop myself from embarrassing myself in front of my boss's boss just in time. Fuck, okay play it cool, Jaeger. I finally managed to tear my eyes away from Erwin's suit long enough to meet those familiar calculating, pale blue eyes of his. As usual, his golden hair was groomed impeccably without a single strand out of place. 

"Oh, Mr. Smith!" I voice my surprise at his presence in Levi's office of all places, not that it was really strange but he usually doesn't just _drop_ in unannounced like this. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you standing there." I immediately apologize, feeling slight heat creeping up my neck and making it's way to my cheeks. Get your shit together, Eren. 

Erwin chuckled. A deep, warm sort of rumble that could be heard from the depths of his chest. "It's quite alright, Eren."

"Che, Eyebrows." I heard Levi mumble underneath his breath and I was more than sure Erwin probably heard him as well but if he was offended, he didn't show it. "What the fuck do you want, Erwin?" 

_'Typical Levi. Never one to beat around the bush.'_ I snorted to myself internally. 

"Good Afternoon to you as well, Levi." Erwin said with a sickeningly polite smile. Oh, he was good. "Can't I come down and pay a visit to my favorite Editor-in-Chief without being accused of needing something from you?" 

I couldn't help but crack a slight grin at Erwin's playful and childish banter with Levi of all people. It was amusing, watching these grown ass men just try and get on each others nerves. In my opinion, Erwin was currently winning, if the twitch in Levi's eye was anything to go by. 

"Erwin." Levi said calmly, despite slight underlying threat in his mismatched eyes. "What. the. fuck. do. you. want." he enunciated each word pointedly. 

It was at this point, a certain expression crossed Erwin's face. It was a mix between playful and serious and it was the most confusing thing I'd ever seen. I couldn't tell if Erwin was going to keep up his little game of 'annoy-the-fuck-out-of-levi-until-he-kicks-someones-ass' or if he was just going to whip out some kind of business related information. I waited awkwardly, not sure if I should be excusing myself since it didn't really feel like my place to just stand here with my boss and employer.

My eyes shifted toward Levi's office door as I contemplated leaving and then they quickly snapped back to Erwin Smith as he cleared his throat softly and placed a warm, heavy hand on my shoulder. I stiffened immediately. Holy fuck. Erwin Smith is touching me and I know that shouldn't be arousing but it kind of is and fuck, would it awkward to just pop a boner right here in the middle of the room? Someone just fucking kill me. 

"Actually," Erwin started, glancing down at me with a slight smile. "I came to tell you that I'll be borrowing Eren for awhile." 

"No." Levi immediately growled. The grip on his pen tightening. "Eren and I have a lot of work to do. Go bug your own fucking assistant for stupid shit instead of stealing mine." 

"Armin went home for the day. His grandfather has a cold. Which leaves me Assistant-less for the rest of the day." 

"Well, tough shit. Go ask Kirstein or Krista to fill in for Armin." 

I was slowly growing more and more uncomfortable. It was strange, watching my boss and my employer arguing back and forth like small children instead of coming to an agreement like the grown men that they were. It wasn't like it was a big deal if I filled in for Armin, I didn't get why Levi was so against it. And if I was being honest, we weren't actually that busy. Now that Fashion Week was over and done with, we were basically back to our usual routine of me taking messages, phone calls and appointments for Levi while also getting him his tea, dusting his office, booking more appointments and meetings for Levi and getting him his lunch. It wasn't like I'd be doing anything different while filling in for Armin. Right?

\- ◆ -

Erwin somehow managed to convince Levi to let me fill in for Armin for the rest of the day while Jean would take over my calls while I was gone. It was laughable. Jean fucking Kirstein trying to do _my_ job. I'm definitely not trying to come off as cocky or narcissistic but I knew ho Levi liked things and I was definitely used to meeting those very high standards of his.

Still, it was odd sitting in the overly spacious top floor of the Survey Corps building. I was used to sitting in front of a glass window in plain view but Armin's desk was situated so that he was facing _away_ from Erwin's office, meaning Erwin could see me but I couldn't see him. But of course, that's what the phone intercom is for. 

Working for Erwin was surprisingly easy. I'm basically just doing the same exact thing I would do while being Levi's assistant. Taking phone calls, messages, booking meetings and appointments, canceling certain meetings or appointments and handling Erwin's schedule basically. I never realized until now just how busy of a man Erwin was. Looking over his daily schedule, I wondered when the man had any time to fucking go home and _rest_. He was like a machine, sitting at his desk for hours on end just going over endless piles and piles of paperwork and signing said papers needing his approval for certain things. 

Finally, it was almost the end of the day. Two more hours and I could clock out, ending this weird but strangely peaceful day. Mikasa already knew I wasn't going to be at my regular desk for lunch since I had texted her that I would be filling in for Armin and working from the top floor today. It was weird not having to make Levi his daily afternoon tea and instead bring Erwin a cup of Coffee instead. The man drank Coffee the same way Levi inhaled Tea. 

_"Eren, could you come in here please?"_ Erwin's deep voice reverberated from the intercom speaker, startling me slightly. 

"Yes, of course." I put the phone line on hold as I stood up from Armin's desk and straightened the light grey and black Cardigan and teal tie I had been [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=140915403) that day. 

I pushed through the heavy glass doors of Erwin's office to see the man standing up and leaning in front of his desk, ankles crossed and looking very casual in that well-fitted suit. I had to force myself not to rake my eyes down his body, undressing my employer with my mind. I didn't have any doubt that Erwin worked out. His bulging biceps as he crossed his arms across his broad chest was enough sign of that. 

Erwin cleared his throat softly, catching my attention. My eyes snapped up from his muscles to meet his bright, pale blues and he had a small smirk on his handsome clean-shaven face. Damn, had he caught me staring? 

"Enjoying the view, Eren?" Erwin chuckled lightly and I felt the tips of my ears go hot. Shit, he had caught me staring. Play it cool, Jaeger. 

"Uh, I'm sorry, Mr. Smith. I couldn't help admire your suit. It looks very nice on you, sir." even that sounded dumb to my own ears. God, why couldn't I just be calm in situations like this? Was it because he's my boss's boss? Or was this just the effect a powerful man like Erwin Smith had on everyone who met him? I felt like the latter seemed to be the more likely choice. 

"Well, thank you, Eren. You don't look too bad yourself today." Erwin slowly uncrossed one of his arms and reached forward to touch the teal-colored tie I was wearing. "This tie matches the color of your left eye. The color of the ocean." he purred and I felt my entire face going hot as I swallowed. 

Holy shit, was Erwin fucking Smith _flirting_ with me? I know I probably wasn't an expert in the field of flirting and teasing but I wasn't that inexperienced. I knew when someone was interested in me and if Erwin Smith's index finger trailing down the material of my tie slowly wasn't a _huge_ blinking, neon sign telling me that, yes, he was indeed teasing and flirting with me then I don't know what was. [(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k30_3FHb4_c)

I swallowed again and licked my dry lips. Erwin's blue eyes watched the movement carefully and I felt heat shooting straight to my groin. Was this actually happening? A powerful, handsome man like Erwin Smith was interested in _me_? A simple, humble assistant? It was definitely hard to believe but there was also somewhere deep inside me that wanted to tease the man back. Okay, so maybe it wasn't as deep as I thought. Of course I wanted to tease this man. I had already done it several times before so what was stopping me now? The simple answer; absolutely nothing at all was stopping me. 

I lifted my hand and reached to stroke at Erwin's deep, royal blue tie. Taking a small step toward him, I let my eyelids drop slightly, hooding my eyes behind my glasses as one corner of my lips quirked up in a kittenish smile. 

"Is this tie pure satin, sir?" I asked, voice lower than necessary but Erwin was clearly reacting to it.

"100%." he drawled. One of his impressive eyebrows raising slightly as I took another small step toward him, the distance between us growing smaller and smaller now. 

"Mmm." I hummed a noncommittal noise from the back of my throat as my nose was assaulted by Erwin's familiar spicy cologne. 

"Eren," Erwin said softly. "You're a very beautiful man." before I even registered his words, Erwin was cupping one of my cheeks in his large, warm hands and I melted at the touch. Erwin Smith was one smooth operator. 

I was more than sure Erwin could see how flushed my face was at his compliment if his gentle actions were anything to go by. Then my entire world stopped as Erwin suddenly yanked me forward by my tie and pressed his lips against mine. My heart was a mess of confusion in my chest as I felt one of his hands trail slowly up one of my arms, teasingly, with feather light touches causing me to tremble at the contact. That same hand trailed up until it was tickling the back of my neck, curling around one of the longer locks of my hair as Erwin deepened the kiss. 

I felt the tip of his hot, wet tongue swipe slowly across my upper lip, asking me silently for entrance and how could I possibly deny him? I parted my lips slowly and I could feel Erwin smile into the kiss. My eyes had already flitted closed as I allowed Erwin to trace my mouth with his. He was without a doubt the one in command of this kiss. There was no way I could even think about trying to fight for dominance with his man who simply oozed power and control, but that didn't mean I couldn't show him a little bit of the defiant Eren Jaeger that everyone knew me to be. It was simply in my nature to defy, to push, to never back down or submit. 

I tilted my head to one side slightly, slotting our lips together more comfortably as I pushed my own tongue into his mouth to do some exploring of my own. I heard Erwin make a chuckling noise that was swallowed instantly by my own mouth as we pushed our tongues back and forth, Erwin clearly winning this battle but I was still putting up a fight of my own. I could taste the light traces of the coffee I made for him earlier on the back of his teeth, mixed with another flavor that reminded me of spearmint gum perhaps. It wasn't until I got a little bold and bit down roughly on his lower lip did Erwin groan into my mouth and then we were parting for air, panting heavily trying to catch our breaths. 

The look Erwin was giving me was simply sinful. His bright blue eyes were staring back at me hungrily, clouded with lust and pure desire and it made my cock twitch in my slacks. I hadn't slept with anyone since that one drunken night with Reiner about a month ago. To say that I was sexually frustrated would be an understatement. Especially considering that the last time I almost got laid was Christmas Day and that was interrupted when I had to go pick Levi up because he was stranded. 

I'm sure my own face was probably mirroring the look on Erwin's if not a little more flushed and anxious. Then, one of Erwin's hands were gripping my wrist as he led me towards a door to the right of his office, taking long, quick strides as he did so. I didn't question it and simply followed after him. Once behind the door, I realized briefly that it was another smaller, more private office within Erwin Smith's office with a large, plush leather couch, a smaller desk littered with papers among other miscellaneous things. Compared to the large, intimidating office in the front, this office was much more personal. I could tell from the various pictures framed up on the walls of Erwin with who I assumed was family and friends alike. 

Erwin was pressing me up against the wall in no time and his lips quickly found mine once more as his fingers nimbly popped the buttons of my cardigan open. I haphazardly did the same with his suit jacket, albeit a little more slowly as my mouth was currently being attacked by that ever so dominant tongue of Erwin's. He made quick work of my cardigan and soon it was dropping to the carpeted floor of his office. I finally managed to get his double breasted suit jacket open and undone and then I was doing the same as he had done with my cardigan, pushing it off his broad shoulders until he was left in nothing but his crisp, white button up and royal blue silk tie. 

I yanked him forward by his tie until we were chest to chest as I hungrily kissed his already kiss-swollen lips. He hands swiftly lifted me up by the backs of my thighs until I was hoisted up higher against the wall with my legs wrapping around his waist, my arms holding onto his neck tightly. Our erections unintentionally ground against each other and I threw my head back in a surprised gasp, Erwin simply groaning softly at the wonderful, unexpected friction. 

I wasn't sure if we were actually going to go through with this or not. If this was even really happening or if I had somehow fallen asleep on my desk and was simply having a wonderful, really vivid wet dream. It wouldn't be the first time I'd had a wet dream about Erwin Smith but I dearly hoped that this was not the case and that this was really indeed happening. The man was simply a god in so many ways. I couldn't deny wanting to taste this man just once. 

"Erwin," I panted against his lips as he had started suckling on my sensitive neck, his fingers quickly working open the buttons of my shirt until his hands had full access to my toned stomach. My muscles twitched at the slow, gentle touches he was giving me. "I want- to suck you off." I managed through a gasp as his fingers brushed past my nipples. 

I heard him chuckle, the sound a deep rumble from his chest as he trailed his kisses back up toward the underside of my jawline where he licked and sucked at my most sensitive spots. 

"Is that anyway to ask your superior for something, Eren?" he mumbled against my skin and I shuddered at the feeling of his lightly tickling my earlobe as he continued to trail his lips upward toward the shell of my ear. "If you want it, you have to ask for it properly, hm? I know you can do it, Eren. You're a smart boy." 

I couldn't help it. I moaned softly at the sound of Erwin's voice calling me a smart boy. Damn, when did I become such a kinky bastard? Suddenly everything Erwin was saying was turning me on and the thought of begging for his cock was almost too much for me to bare. I bit my lower lip as I turned my head slightly to the side to look at Erwin who stared back at me expectantly with darkened cobalt eyes. His long, blond lashes hooding his eyes heavily. 

"Please, _Erwin_. I want to suck you off. Please let me." I knew I was being such a little shit, pouting my lips slightly and widening my eyes that I knew made me look so innocent. I may not have found myself extremely beautiful or attractive in general but that didn't mean I wasn't aware of how much people loved my eyes. Even when I still wore contacts to hide their true color, I knew that they were ridiculously large giving me a baby faced look and I won't deny using that innocent baby face to my advantage at certain times.

Something flashed in Erwin's eyes, a look of pure feral desire as I let those words tumble from my lips and suddenly Erwin was removing me from the wall and allowing my feet to touch solid ground once more. There was a smirk on his handsome face and his next words could have made me come right then and there, 

"Get on your knees, Eren." it was a command, plain and simple. His was so calm and even as he said those words but there was certain finality to them as well that made you not want to go against his orders. 

I didn't need to be told twice before I was sinking to my knees immediately. My fingers flew to unclasp his matching, pinstripe slacks. I yanked his slacks down slowly until they were about mid-thigh and took in the fact that he was wearing a pair of very attractive dark blue Armani boxer briefs. I could clearly see the outline of his hard cock pressing uncomfortably against the stretchy material. Erwin was certainly very well endowed but I didn't expect any less from the man. 

Erwin's fingers threaded through my already mussed hair and I glanced up at him briefly, his eyes were glazed over as he watched me mouth at his dick slowly. As I licked at his cock through the material of his boxer briefs, our eyes met again briefly and Erwin's brows twitched before he was letting out a soft shaky exhale of breath. I smirked against the material of his boxers, loving how this powerful man was suddenly coming undone because of me simply licking and mouthing at his cock through his underwear. 

"Ngh, Eren..." he groaned, his head rolling back slightly. His perfectly groomed locks of golden hair falling beautifully out of place and into his shut eyes. The sight was beautiful. 

What little patience I possessed finally ran out and I hooked my thumbs into the stretchy elastic band of his boxer briefs. I rolled them down slowly so that the material intentionally rubbed against the head of his straining cock. Erwin hissed softly at the sensation and I bit my lower lip in anticipation. Finally, his impressive cock was freed from it's confines and I subconsciously licked my lips at the sight of it. I was so right to assume that Erwin was well endowed because god damn it, did he have a nice cock and that's not something you could say about cocks in general. 

I didn't bother to wait for Erwin's approval, I hungrily wrapped my lips around his girth and swirled my tongue around the crown of his cock, tasting the bitter pre-cum that was beading out profusely. I released the head of Erwin's cock with an intentional wet, pop and I flattened by tongue completely before licking a long, wet strip up the thick vein on the underside of his cock. His erection weighing heavily on my tongue. 

Erwin was struggling to keep his sounds to a minimum but I could tell that his efforts were failing. I wrapped my lips around Erwin's cock once more and hallowed my cheeks and slackened my jaw as much as I could as I swallowed Erwin inch by inch slowly trying not to active my gag reflex too fast. It had been a while since I sucked someone off. I was sure that I was rusty but it wouldn't take long for me to get the hang of it once he got going. 

"Eren," Erwin said breathlessly. "Your mouth is so amazing." he praised, that had that was tangled in my long hair was soon lightly tugging on it and I couldn't help but moan around his length. Hair pulling has always been a weak point for me, don't ask me why. 

Eventually, Erwin stopped trying to hold back as he leaned forward with one of his forearms against the wall in front of him, his icy blue eyes staring down at me, watching me as I continued to suck and swallow around his length. His hips bucked forward into my mouth halfheartedly at first but soon they became more aggressive as he gripped my hair tightly causing me to keep moaning around his cock. 

I felt tears in the corners of my eyes, threatening to fall as Erwin continued to guide my actions by pushing and pulling at the back of my head with his massive hand, fingers massaging the back of my scalp whenever I hummed around his girth sending pleasurable jolts through Erwin's body as I rested my hands against his strong, muscled thighs. 

Erwin was fucking my mouth ruthlessly and I was desperately trying to palm at my own erection through my slacks. I could already feel my cock straining painfully against my underwear and I whimpered with Erwin's cock still stuffing my mouth. The lewd, wet noises the actions were making as saliva dribbled down the sides of my mouth and dripped onto the carpet from my chin as Erwin continued to grind his cock against the flat of my tongue. 

"Eren, I'm close." he warned as I felt his body start to stiffen quickly. That was all I needed to know before I was pulling off his throbbing cock, coated with a slick sheen of my saliva as I gasped for air. There was a thin string of saliva still connected to my lips from the tip of Erwin's swollen cock but it was quickly broken when Erwin hoisted me up by my arms from my position on the floor and brought me into a passionate kiss, tasting his own fluids on my lips. 

Before I knew it, Erwin was steering me back toward his desk where my back collided with the edge and I tumbled backwards, knocking down several papers and pens among various things onto the ground. Erwin impatiently worked the clasp of my own slacks open and he yanked them down along with my boxer briefs until they pooled around my ankles. I shivered slightly as the cold air in Erwin's office touched my leaking cock and I nearly screamed when I saw Erwin lean forward and take the tip of my cock into his mouth, watching as he tongued the slit repeatedly before giving it a nice wet suck before pulling off. 

He continued to stroke me slowly with one hand while his free hand started rummaging through one of the desk drawers. Those calculating blue eyes of his taking me apart as he raked down my disheveled form. I'm more than sure that I was looking pretty wrecked by now, with my lips swollen and glistening from sucking his cock and now I was simply laid bare for him as he stroked my erection in one hand. I felt just the slightest bit self-conscious having Erwin stare at me like some hungry wild animal. It made my cock twitch at the same time. 

"How do you want me to take you, Eren?" he said in a low, sultry tone of voice making me shiver slightly. 

It took me awhile to find my voice, but when I did, I almost didn't recognize it as my own. "P-Please, Erwin. Fuck me from behind." I whined. I was still breathing shallowly as Erwin continued to stroke at my length but then he was stopping as he pulled out a familiar bottle of lube and a condom, setting them aside on the desk as he motioned for my to turn over. 

I awkwardly slipped off the top of his desk and turned so that I was bent right over it instead, my opened shirt allowed my stomach to feel the cool of the wood beneath me and I quivered slightly. Erwin didn't waste any time as he groped my ass and then spread my cheeks apart, pressing a cool, slick finger against my twitching entrance. I gasped slightly at the sensation and couldn't help but rut back against his fingertip. 

Erwin chuckled darkly as he slipped the first finger in to the second knuckle and then his second was soon following after, not giving me the time to adjust. It only slightly burned as he wiggled and curled his fingers inside of me. It was more uncomfortable than painful but Erwin was at least taking his time to stretch me properly as he twisted and scissored his thick fingers. I bit the inside of my cheek trying to keep my noises in but when Erwin started stroking my cock with his free hand, my mouth was falling open as I let out a wanton moan of need. 

"Ahh! E-Erwin!" I bucked my hips forward into his hand as I also tried to rut back against his fingers at the same time. I needed to be filled and I could slowly feeling myself drawing closer to my orgasm. I didn't want to come from just this, though. "Erwin, please. Fuck me." I begged turning my head slightly so I could stare at him from over my shoulder. 

Erwin groaned as he heard me beg him to fuck me, then I felt his cock slide between the cleft of my ass and he smirked at me. Blue eyes still heavily hooded but I could see how blown his pupils were, as I'm sure mine were. 

"My name sounds good coming from that mouth of yours, Eren. I want to hear more." he growled and then he was ripping the condom open and slicking himself up. 

I wiggled my hips, urging him to hurry up but I only received an amused chuckle in return. 

"Patience, Eren. I'll have you screaming soon." he promised with a charming smile. All perfectly straight white teeth and dimples and fuck, I still couldn't believe I was going to be fucked by my extremely hot employer. Allow me to scratch this off my bucket list. 

Finally, I felt Erwin lining himself up with my entrance and I sighed softly as he pressed the tip of his cock in past the first ring of muscle. There was a low squelching sound that followed as Erwin continued to sheath himself inside me and I couldn't hold back my moan as I felt his cock brush past my prostate slightly, just enough to let me know that he was near it but not entirely close to hitting it just right. Erwin groaned loudly as he leaned forward and licked a long strip up my shoulder blade until he got to the nape of my neck. 

I wiggled my hips once more, signaling for Erwin that I was ready for him to move and he gladly complied. I felt his hips withdraw for a brief moment, Erwin's cock unsheathing itself until only the tip was left inside and then he was slamming back into me, causing the wooden desk beneath us to scrape forward despite the floor being carpeted. I bit down on my own hand to hold in my moans but it was useless when Erwin started thrusting into my wildly and mercilessly. 

"Uhnng! P-Please, Erwin-- F-faster!" I was drowning in a pool of pleasure as Erwin angled his hips so that he was grinding against my sweet spot just right. 

He would alternate his pace between fast and reckless to slow and agonizing. He would edge me to the point where I was ready to come and then he would stop and start playing with my nipples or he'd kiss the back of my neck. I was a whining, moaning mess underneath him as my knees knocked together and quivered from being overstimulated. 

"Erwin, please-- let me cum, please! A-Ahh! I need to cum!" I panted. Erwin was currently stroking my cock with languid motions. "Please, _please, please._ " my voice lowered into a desperate whisper as I rutted back to meet another one of Erwin's thrusts. 

"Cum for me, Eren." Erwin commanded as he leaned forward, molding his large chest to my arched back as he licked and sucked at my ear lobe. 

It was too much for me to handle, I gasped before I felt that tight heat in my gut coil and let go letting white, hot bliss wash over me as I came on Erwin's desk. Thick strings of white painted across the dark mahogany wood as Erwin continued to stroke me through my orgasm. My head was thrown back to the ceiling as I felt my thighs shake from exhaustion. I felt Erwin's hands on my hips once more as he moved me into a different position. He turned me around and I immediately slipped off the desk and sunk to my knees once more as I removed the condom from Erwin's still hard cock and started blowing him to completion. My mind was still a bit fuzzy from my post-coital bliss but I wrapped my mouth from Erwin's throbbing cock and sucked and licked like my life depended on it. 

Erwin moaned softly as he screwed his eyes shut and he pressed my face against his groin. The tip of my nose brushed against course blond hairs and I felt Erwin's hand grip tightly in my hair. 

"Where do you want me to cum, Eren?" Erwin asked breathlessly. I could hear the exhausted satisfaction in his tone. 

I pulled off of his cock and looked up at him through slightly watery eyes, "On my face." I breathed out before I opened my mouth and stuck my tongue out to catch every drop of cum. 

Erwin laughed, it was a soft, breathy sound but it sounded fucking amazing as I stared up at his disheveled form. His soft blond hair falling into his eyes and he just looked so _fucked-out_ and pleased with the whole situation. I didn't exactly have any complaints myself. He then started stroking himself at a fast pace, his hand still slick from the lube he used to prep me earlier. His mouth slightly hung open as he groaned and finished himself to completion. 

I noticed the way his posture stiffened and the rhythm he had going with his hand stuttered slightly and then he was coming straight over my face. His cum covered one of my lenses and my cheek and then the rest I caught in my mouth. Erwin panted heavily as he milked himself dry and I made sure to lick and suck at the head of his cock causing Erwin to let out a sharp inhale of breath. 

"Oh, god, Eren." he whispered as he carded a hand through my hair softly. I released his softening cock from my mouth and swallowed his cum greedily. 

I had to remove my glasses and set them aside as I stood up on shaky legs, feeling more like a newborn fawn as my knees wobbled and I gripped the edge of Erwin's desk for support. He smiled tiredly at me and I returned it with a shy smile of my own. I mean, I kind of just sucked, fucked and swallowed my employer's jizz and was screaming for him to fuck me harder over his desk. I wasn't exactly sure how I was supposed to act right after doing such lewd things. 

Erwin and I silently started fixing our disheveled clothes, Erwin pulling sliding his slacks and boxers back up and zipping his pants up before tucking his button up back into place and adjusting his tie. I slowly pulled my slacks and underwear back on before going to button up my shirt that was still partially open. Erwin picked up both his suit jacket and my cardigan from the floor and he handed me my cardigan with a charming smile before trying to smooth back some of his hair but to no avail. A couple of strands just did not want to comply so Erwin simply shrugged and walked back out into his main office. 

I decided to linger back a moment or two to finish fixing my own appearance, but it was also mostly due to the fact that I had just gotten one of the best fucks of my life and I was still a little high from my intense orgasm. God, Erwin was ridiculously good at fucking. It had to be illegal for someone to be _that_ attractive, successful and good in bed. The man was a fucking god. 

After fixing my tie back to the way it was, I carded a hand through my messy hair hoping to tame some of the messy strands but eventually gave up. My hair was always a mess anyway so I saw no point in even trying. I glanced down at my glasses that were still covered in cum that had already slightly dried and I wrinkled my nose while frowning. _That_ is not going to be easy to clean and I dreaded the thought of having to. Fuck, and they were Versace glasses of all things. 

I walked back out into Erwin's office, carrying my jizz covered glasses as I stared down at them in slight displeasure and Erwin greeted me in the center of his office near his desk. He was carrying a handful of loose papers and I blinked at him in confusion as he gave me an apologetic smile. Shit, even when he was trying to look apologetic he looked sexy as shit. This man simply couldn't be real. He subconsciously smoothed back his hair once more but there were still those few stubborn strands that refused to stay smoothed back. 

"Ah, I apologize for getting your glasses dirty, Eren. If you want, just leave them with me and I'll have them professionally cleaned and returned to you before you leave the office today." he said, flashing me one of his charming business-like smiles and I couldn't help but blush and nod. 

"Um," I started quietly and hesitantly. "Did you need me for anything else, Mr. Smith?" I finally asked as I fussed with one of the sleeves of my cardigan. I felt my face getting hotter by the second as Erwin eyed me up and down and then slightly smirked. 

"No, Eren. That will be all. You may return to your original stationed desk and tell Levi I'll talk with him tomorrow." 

I nodded quickly and left my soiled, designer glasses with Erwin on his desk before I hurried out of the his office. I noticed that my breathing was still a bit rushed, like I had just ran a fucking marathon and my cheeks still felt hot and flushed as I got into the elevator and thought about what I had just done with my fucking employer. I had just fucked Erwin fucking Smith. Owner of fucking Survey Corps publications. I didn't even know the guy was gay or bisexual or whatever before now but I was definitely sure that he was either or now. And to think that he wanted me just as badly as I wanted him. It was an encouraging thought. 

I hadn't even noticed when the elevator reached that familiar 26th floor until the doors opened and I saw Krista and a very pissed off looking Jean sitting at the receptionist desk. Krista noticed me first, smiled and waved cheerfully at me and I lazily waved back before hurrying off toward Levi's office and my desk. I was so distracted in my hazy thoughts that I didn't even notice the familiar short, angry figure retreating just as quickly into his own office as I reached my desk. 

"Levi?" I called without even thinking. I wished I hadn't because when he turned around, his looks was simply murderous. "Um, is everything alright?" I asked hesitantly. 

Levi was quiet for a long moment as those mercurial eyes roamed over my entire form. He narrowed his eyes once he looked over my face and then he was scowling, well, scowling more than usual. 

"Where the fuck are your glasses?" he growled out. 

I felt the heat in my cheeks spread to the rest of my face as I remembered what Erwin and I had just been doing not even 15 minutes ago. My cock still felt extremely sensitive and my asshole twitched at the memory but I hoped Levi couldn't notice the way I fidgeted awkwardly in my spot. 

"Oh, um, they got dirty... during my lunch break." was my lame excuse. 

Levi eyed me critically again for a long moment before he eventually just rolled his eyes and frowned at me. He seemed to be in a particularly foul mood since I got back and I couldn't place my finger on why. 

"Tch, Whatever." he said dismissively and then he was trudging back into his office, closing the door with a little more force than was necessary. 

I simply shrugged as I took my place at my desk and sorted through the mess that Jean had apparently left as he filled in for me. I could only assume that for whatever reason Levi was annoyed, it more than likely probably had to do with Jean fucking something up or not meeting Levi's standards. Yeah, that was probably it. It would also explain why Jean looked so pissed when I passed by the receptionist desk earlier. I couldn't think of any other reason for why Levi would be _this_ upset. 

The rest of the hour left on the clock was spent with Levi promptly ignoring me as I sat at my desk and reorganized everything while taking a couple of calls at the same time. It was slightly awkward and it wasn't like I particularly liked having Levi's misplaced anger or annoyance aimed at me but I was much too exhausted to try and probe and prod at my boss like I usually might have if I hadn't just been fucked over a desk. 

Levi continued to ignore me, even as we both packed up and got ready to leave the office for a day. Levi was shrugging on his double breasted, black down coat and I was gathering my things as well when I heard a familiar deep, smooth baritone call out to me. 

"Eren." Erwin greeted as he approached. He had a pleased smile on his face and I felt my cheeks heat slightly. Damn it, I feel like an awkward teen who just lost his virginity all over again. Suck it up, Jaeger. 

"Mr. Smith." I greeted back, trying not to seem too excited to see my boss' boss again so soon. 

Erwin closed the distance between us and handed me a small black case with what I assumed was probably my cleaned glasses. He handed it to me gingerly, the tips of his fingers brushed against the back of my hand as I reached out to grab it and I tried to suppress a shiver. 

"Just returning your glasses before you left for the weekend." he said evenly, still smiling. 

"Oh, uh, Thank you. Sorry for the trouble." I tried to smile back casually. 

"Nonsense." Erwin chuckled deeply. It was then that I noticed that he had finally properly fixed his hair back into place, not a single strand out of place. "It was no trouble at all. Really." he purred slightly and I swallowed thickly before smiling a little more widely. 

"Eren." Levi's cold voice cut through the warm atmosphere surrounding Erwin and I as we both turned to look at the shorter man who was watching the exchange between Erwin and I like a hawk. "If you're done getting all your shit together, go home." he huffed before slipping his snug, leather gloves on and shutting the door to his darkened office. 

"Leaving for the day already, Levi? That's surprising." Erwin commented conversationally. I almost flinched at the harsh words that came from Levi's mouth next, 

"Fuck off, Erwin." 

Then Levi was briskly walking toward the elevators without so much as another glance at the both of us and I briefly wondered by he was suddenly acting so hostile toward his boss. I mean, sure it was usual for him to disrespect Erwin to some extent but he just sounded downright pissed as he left. Well, whatever the reason for his foul mood was. I hoped that by the time he came into the office next week he'll have forgotten all about whatever it was that upset him and we could all go about doing our jobs a little more easier. 

Erwin bid me a warm farewell and I finished packing my things up before tugging on my parka and texting Mikasa that I would meet her downstairs in the lobby so we could drive home together. I was extremely exhausted and all I wanted to do when I got home was take a nice hot shower and sleep until next Monday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the Feels Express. 
> 
> Btw, Commissions are still open guys. You can find the information for that on the previous chapter notes! Thanks for being so patient!


	17. Let's have a sexy Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“Fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment.”_ — **Alexander McQueen**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! First of all, I just want to say, Thank you ALL for your well wishes and condolences on losing my dog! I received so much love and support for you guys and I want to say that you're all amazing and thank you again for understanding my situation! It's just another reason for me to believe that my readers are all freaking wonderful! 
> 
> Here, we get a little insight into Levi's dark past.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting when I walked into Erwin's Office and saw nobody fucking there. The big ass tree needed to sign some paper for me and since my assistant was stolen for the rest of the day by Eyebrows himself and Jean was an incapable piece of shit at being an assistant, I was forced to take the papers up to Erwin myself. Fan-fucking-tastic. As if I didn't already have enough shit to do as it was. I was the damn Editor-in-Chief of New York's High-end Fashion magazine and instead I had to stop what I was doing to deliver some god damn papers to Erwin. That's what I had an assistant for but Erwin likes to be a fucking douche. 

Of course, nothing could have prepared me for what I heard when I barged into Erwin's office. As I said before, it was empty. Not a single fuzzy, fluffy blond eyebrow in sight and certainly no familiar beautiful brat sitting in the front desk. It was odd. Lunch had ended over two hours ago so I highly doubted Erwin and Eren were out to lunch _together_.

But I think I would have rather the two of them being out to lunch together than what I _actually_ heard them doing. At first, I was just going to storm out of Erwin office after leaving a pretty nasty note on his desk (maybe stolen some of his fancy scotch just for shits and giggles.) but I ended up staying for much longer than I originally intended when I heard a familiar voice moaning from the small personal office. The door was cracked open. I let curiosity get the better of me and I wish I hadn't. 

_"Uhnng! P-Please, Erwin-- F-faster!"_

It was Eren's voice. No mistake. I could recognize his voice anywhere and right now I really wish I hadn't. I wished I had never come up to Erwin's fucking office. Why the fuck did I have to come up here? Why the fuck was Erwin fucking _my_ assistant? Of all the people Erwin could have, Why Eren? As I stood by the smaller office door, I felt sick to my stomach and I wanted nothing more than to barge in there and punch Erwin in the fucking balls and maybe disfigure his face a bit. But I only stood there; frozen and sick to my stomach and I just wanted to scream.

The only noises I could hear were the sounds of my own beating heart thundering in my eardrums and the sound of Eren's moans even though they sounded far off despite the fact that I was standing right in front of the cracked open door. I could hear Erwin grunting and groaning and I felt my shaking hands tightening into fists, my nails digging painfully into the tender flesh of my palms. 

I didn't even realize that I had dropped the papers I had been carrying and they scattered all over Erwin's office floor in every direction. I wanted to run, needed to get away from there before I either killed Erwin or did something I might regret. It took a great amount of effort to move from that spot when I wanted nothing more than to run in and take Eren away but that was impossible. Finally, my legs were moving and I was all but sprinting out of Erwin's office. I didn't care nor did I bother to pick up the papers I had dropped inside. 

I jammed my thumb into the button to call the elevator and I impatiently waited for the shiny chrome doors to open. My mind was a muddled mess and I felt myself getting angrier and angrier the longer I had to wait. After what seemed like fucking hours, the double doors to the elevator opened and I quickly shuffled inside, jamming the button to close the elevators doors repeatedly until the doors closed and blocked my view of those familiar double glass doors. Now just looking at those doors just made me feel nauseous. 

I felt like I was on autopilot as my body moved stiffly to press the button for the 26th floor and I simply leaned a shoulder against one of the walls of the elevator as I got lost in my own thoughts. Naturally, the ride back down to my floor was too short for my liking and soon as the doors were opening to the familiar receptionists desk where a cheerful Krista and a pissy Jean were sitting, taking calls. 

Jean met my gaze and then he was scowling before turning in his swivel chair to face away from me. Good. I didn't feel like dealing with his shit right now anyway. I didn't feel like dealing with anyone's crap right now. I simply wanted to hurry into my office and drown in my own thoughts. I briskly made my way through the rest of the floor toward my office, hoping to get inside and lock myself away until the end of the day before anyone could stop me and ask me about stupid shit I didn't care about at the moment. I rounded a corner and I could see my office door just a few feet in front of me. _'Home free'_ I thought just as I was about to make it to my safe haven but apparently life just loves to fuck me over. 

"Levi?" I heard Eren's sweet voice call out and that had my body immediately freezing in my tracks. Why was Eren here? Wasn't he just in Erwin's office getting his fucking brains fucked out? 

I turned around without even really thinking and once again, I wished that I hadn't. I wished that I had just ignored him and kept plowing straight for my office because then I wouldn't have seen the clear blush still very evident on his face or the small beads of sweet on his forehead or even the way he was still breathing a little hard, eyes somewhat unfocused and glassy. He looked completely fucked-out and exhausted but he was also practically glowing. My expression must have been deadly because I saw his eyes slightly widen when I turned back to face him and then he was looking like a nervous school boy. 

"Um, is everything alright?" he asked, voice tiny and unsure and he wasn't exactly meeting my gaze directly. 

Was everything alright? He was actually asking me if everything was _alright_? Of fucking course everything wasn't alright. Nothing was alright, nothing was even _okay_. Everything was shit and I wanted yell at him, scream at him, _anything_. But I knew that just wouldn't be fair. Because Eren didn't know that I had overhead him getting fucked by Erwin. I had no right to get jealous and pissed when Eren and I only shared a professional relationship. Boss and Assistant. Nothing more and that fucking hurt now that I realized it. 

I realized I was taking a bit too long to answer but I couldn't bring myself to open my mouth and just fucking say _'Everything's fine.'_ just so I wouldn't have to stand here and look at his slightly disheveled state anymore. My eyes studied him for a moment and it was then that I realized something horrible. Eren wasn't wearing the Versace glasses I had gotten for him as a replacement for his broken ones. Eren always wore them when he was in the office and I was very positive that he had been wearing them when I saw him this morning and this afternoon. 

"Where the fuck are your glasses?" I heard myself ask in something similar to a growl. I couldn't hide the slight anger in my voice even if I wanted to. 

The little shit actually turned a beautiful shade of crimson as his stunning eyes shifted around nervously, avoiding my face at all costs and I felt myself growing more and more agitated at the sight. _'Look at me. Look at me, you little shit.'_ I repeated in my head as those teal and gold eyes settled on staring at his shoes finally. I could see the way his body fidgeted under my scrutiny. 

"Oh, um, they got dirty... during my lunch break."

That was his excuse and what a poor excuse it was. I felt my heart sink and I don't even know why. They were just a pair of fucking glasses but a part of me held some kind of hope that it meant something that Eren wore the glasses that _I_ bought for him everyday. I couldn't have been more wrong apparently and I felt stupid for ever thinking that in the first place. I rolled my eyes and quickly turned away to start for my office once again. 

"Tch, Whatever." 

When I entered my office, I might have slammed the door a little harder than I intended to but I didn't care. I walked over to my desk and sunk into my large leather swivel chair and let out a heavy sigh as I massaged my temples. What did I think was going to happen between Eren and I? He's been my assistant for just a little over two months and I had grown attached to him, there was no doubt about that. It wasn't just because he was an attractive, cheeky shit but he was damn good at his job. Today made me realize just how good he was. I had to have Jean fill in for Eren since Eren was filling in for Armin and today had been hell. 

Jean fucked almost everything up and couldn't do anything right. It was my big fucking wake up call to the fact that Two months ago I tried everything to get Eren to fucking quit so _Jean_ could be my assistant and I was glad my plan never worked because then I could have been stuck with an incompetent piece of shit like Jean as my assistant. It stunned me just how bad he was at this assistant shit. Not even Eren was this bad in the beginning. 

I sighed once more as I leaned back in my chair and glowered at the shit scattered across my desk that I still had to do but had no motivation to do. Instead, I opted for turning my chair away from the glass window of my office so I wouldn't have to look at Eren as I let my thoughts swallow me.

I did my very best to avoid having to look in Eren's direction the rest of the hour left before I could leave this hell hole. My mind had been swimming in negative thoughts galore and I was fucking exhausted from simply _thinking_ about shit. About Eren. About Erwin. About how fucked up and unfair the world was. I was in the most foul mood I'd been in years and I knew there was only one way of fixing this. 

When it was finally ten minutes till, I started packing up my shit not giving a fuck if I didn't even get half of the work I normally would have done by this time of the day as I shrugged on my down coat and fished into my deep pockets for my leather gloves. I heard a sickeningly familiar voice call out Eren's name and my eyes snapped up to see Erwin approaching Eren in a hurry. Eren was smiling shyly at Erwin as he was handed a small black case and I watched the exchange silently. 

"Just returning your glasses before you left for the weekend." Erwin said with his fucking business smile that came straight out of a fucking Colgate toothpaste commercial. Fuck him. 

"Oh, uh, Thank you. Sorry for the trouble." Eren thanked him awkwardly before attempting a more confident smile but I could see a faint tint of red on his cheeks. Tch. 

"Nonsense." Erwin laughed. "It was no trouble at all. Really." I could hear the slight beguiling tone in his voice and I snapped without thinking. 

"Eren." I said coldly. Even I could hear the venom in my tone but I couldn't care less at the moment. I narrowed my eyes at them and continued, "If you're done getting all your shit together, go home."

I went about slipping on the snug leather gloves over my slender fingers and that was when Erwin had to open his fucking mouth and speak words. I guess it was too fucking much to ask to just get the fuck out of here without committing a homicide. 

"Leaving for the day already, Levi? That's surprising." Erwin said in a light, casual tone that he often took up with me but I was having none of it today. 

"Fuck off, Erwin." I bit out harshly and I felt a slight sense of satisfaction at the reaction Eren had toward my pointed words. He was nearly flinching back, as if my words had physically been thrown at them in the form of tiny little daggers. Good. I wanted them both to know just how pissed I was. 

After locking up my office and telling my boss off in front of my assistant, I was briskly walking back toward the elevators, not bothering to wait and see what Erwin and Eren were going to do. Erwin, the smooth bastard, would probably invite Eren back to his place sometime during the weekend and they'd fuck like mad rabbits and Erwin would let Eren stay the night at his place and the blond fucking bastard would get to wake up and see Eren's sleeping face in the morning. 

I was already standing in the elevators that were, thankfully, fucking empty and void of any other passengers. I leaned against one of the corners of the elevators and let out a rough and shaky exhale of breath. The true weight of the events from earlier finally hitting me like a shit ton of bricks and I felt like all the air had left me as I simply slumped into the elevator. I had been foolish to think that Eren and I had anything more than a simple professional relationship but now after what I heard today, it was obvious that I never even had a chance with Eren and it would probably always be that way. 

I set myself up for this heartache. It's what I get for allowing myself to feel something for that fucking kid in the first place but it had been out of my control from the very beginning. I had fallen for Eren Jaeger whether I liked it or not. Sighing and running a hand down my face roughly, I dug around in the pocket of my coat and pulled out my cell phone, unlocking the lock screen and thumbing through my contacts until I came to one name in particular. 

I held the device to my ear and heard it ring three times, just before it went to voice mail the other line was finally picked up and an all too familiar voice greeted me sleepily. 

_"ll'o?"_

"Farlan," I answered back, my tone sharp and serious. "Meet me at Club Sina tonight."

\- ◆ -

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yebjp_hlX8o) The flashing of colorful strobe lights and loud bass vibrating through my chest was a feeling I was all too familiar with. I had been here several times before, one too many times to count. Farlan had invited some of his model bimbos to sit with us in the darkest fucking corner of Club Sina but I wasn't there with thoughts of getting laid. I simply wanted to drink until I could forget.

The moment I walked into the club, I went straight to the bar and ordered three shots of Bacardi and downed them all at once. I was desperate for the familiar haze of being shit-faced drunk to the point of blacking out. I needed it. Nothing would stop the ache in my chest other than that blissful nothingness of drinking and popping X until I was unconscious and just like I had assumed, Farlan still had his connections. 

Within the hour of arriving of the club, I was slightly buzzed but feeling even better with the Ecstasy pills I had just taken with my last round of shots. True to his party-animal nature, Farlan kept the drinks coming nonstop so I was not without a drink in my hand at some point. It had been awhile since I last partied this hard and I had never planned on going back to doing Ecstasy or even any of the more hardcore shit like LSD and Meth but at the rate I was going, I knew it would only be a matter of time. I didn't care though, I was too busy shoving my tongue down some drunken models mouth to worry about relapsing and going back to my old party boy ways. 

When I was on Ecstasy, I was a completely different person. I felt good and like I was on cloud fucking nine. Nothing felt real and yet everything felt too real. The buzz of alcohol fading in and out as a couple of models lead my drunk ass to the middle of the dance floor where I continued to do something I would never do if I had been fucking sober; I was fucking dancing. Straight up grinding on strangers and just being swept away by mob of half-naked, sweaty club goers. 

I was so far gone that I didn't even care that I was swapping spit with completely fucking strangers which of course I would have never done when I was sober and not high as fuck but because I was not sober and indeed, high as fuck, I was too busy drowning in the haze of blissful euphoria that the drug I had taken brought and I was simply loosing myself in on the dance floor. Hands grabbed at me, groped me and pushed and pulled at me. It was like being in a massive orgy except everyone had their clothes on and we were all just basically dry humping one another on the dance floor uncaring of who saw. 

I was having the time of my life but in the back of my mind I could still feel something fucking nagging at me. I knew that what I was doing right now wasn't going to fucking fix what I had already been done. Erwin Smith, my best friend, had fucked the guy I was head over heels in love with and there was nothing I could fucking do about it. Why had I let him take Eren? Why didn't I protest until he backed off? I had basically just fucking handed Eren to Erwin with gift wrap and fucking bow and with the way he had surprised everyone by appearing on the runway during Sasha's show, he may as well have had a huge blinking sign on his forehead that read 'Fuck me.' because I'm more than sure I wasn't the only one thinking it. Hell, I _saw_ the way Erwin had looked at him on that stage, nearly eye-fucking him in every way possible. 

My weekend went on like this. Friday, Saturday and even Sunday. I went through the same damn routine every night; Drink, party, make out, drugs, dance, drink some more, black out. The thing about partying until you blacked out was that it becomes addicting. One minute, you're dancing, drinking and having the fucking time of your life completely forgetting about all your worries and then the next minute; nothing. Blackness until you finally became conscious to the world again after how many fucking hours of being passed out. Then you simply get up and do the same shit all over again. 

This routine carried on even through my work week but nobody had really bothered to tell me anything about it, at least, that was how it went for the first four days of the work week. When next Friday rolled around, I was sitting in my office one late evening still nursing a pretty nasty hangover. Actually, I think I was still a bit drunk from the night prior. Farlan and I had ended up going Club hopping the way we used to back in our younger days. 

I was well aware that I came into work dragging ass that morning, hell, I'm more than sure that I probably looked like complete and utter shit as well. Under the cover of night and the flashing strobe lights of night clubs, my darker-than-usual-circles around my eyes were hardly even noticeable but the same couldn't be said for the daylight sun that clearly showed my tired glassy eyes, haphazardly thrown together outfit (A wrinkled white button up and torn black jeans? Really?) and of course I'm sure me running a hand through my hair to comb it hurriedly didn't make it look any neater. 

I had definitely received a few strange stares as I came into the office on Friday but I had promptly ignored them, too tired and exhausted to deal with anyone's bullshit but of course, life likes to fuck with me and before I could make my great escape from the office this Friday evening to go off and have another wild weekend of club hopping and partying, I was instead brought back to reality when a trashy tabloid was slapped onto the top of my desk by none other than Eren fucking Jaeger and he looked pissed. 

"What the fuck is _this_ , Levi?" Eren pointed an angry finger at the cover of said tabloid and I scowled up at him, blinking a few times to focus my vision before I was glaring at the thing he was pointing at. _Oh._

Right on the front cover of the tabloid were several pictures the paparazzi had taken of me at various different clubs making a complete ass of myself. I obviously don't remember doing any of these things since I was mostly too strung out and drunk off my ass to care for what I was doing for more than half of the time. I stared at the cover and then briefly glanced back up at Eren who was glaring down at me expectantly. 

"Tch," I sucked my teeth loudly. "So I made it on the front page of another fucking tabloid, big fucking deal." I snapped lazily. Not even having the energy to defend myself of any kind of accusations he might have had. 

"It is a big fucking deal, Levi!" Eren nearly yelled. It was a good thing we were usually the last two to leave the office. I could tell this was not going to end well. "You're giving yourself a bad reputation. Don't you care at all?" 

"It's my fucking life, Eren. I can do whatever the fuck I want with it and if I'm fucking it up then that's _MY_ problem!" I replied, raising my voice slightly. I was getting angrier just sitting here looking at Eren and I knew that I could explode at any given moment. 

"That's not the issue here, Levi. I'm not trying to tell you how the fuck you should live your life but I'm worried about you!" now he was yelling, voice slightly higher than before as his features softened slightly but he still fixed me with a hard glare.

I couldn't help but laugh sardonically at his words, "Worried about me? What a fucking joke. You hardly even _know_ me." I spat out bitterly. Eren frowned at this. 

"I may not know you as well as Hanji or Erwin but I at least know you well enough to know that you've worked too fucking hard to get to where you're at now as Editor-in-Chief to just throw it all away because of a bad fucking rep! You're my god damn boss, Levi and I respect that hell out of you! Whatever reason you're doing this, it needs to stop before you do something you'll regret." He voice had gotten surprisingly calmer as he spoke and eventually he wasn't frowning in anger but in sadness. 

I couldn't bear to have those fucking eyes staring at me like that. Like I was something or someone he should fucking pity. Why is it that no matter how much I tried, I could never get Eren to look at me with eyes of admiration or even some kind of affection? Why was I the only one stuck with having to deal with these feelings when it was clear Eren didn't feel shit for me? I hated it and I hated Eren more for making me pine after him. 

"That's rich, coming from a fucking slut." I recognized this voice as my own but the words that were currently fucking spilling out of my mouth like verbal vomit were foreign. Was I really talking to Eren like this? My mind was hazy from the leftover side-effects of the drugs I took last night. 

"What?" Eren asked in disbelief. His beautiful gold and teal eyes widening in shock as he stared at me in complete bewilderment. 

"You heard me." I smirked. "You think I don't know about what you and Erwin were doing in his office last week? Well, guess what, Eren. I heard everything." okay, so I was lying about hearing everything but he didn't need to know that. Still, I didn't know why I was saying all of this shit. "I heard the way you moaned like a fucking whore while Erwin fucked you over his desk. Was it good, Eren? I bet you got down on your hands and knees and begged Erwin to fuck you like the slut you are." 

I hadn't even realized when I had stood up from my desk and I was walking toward Eren as he took several steps back until I had eventually cornered him against a wall. I could see him gritting his teeth but his lower lip slightly wobbled and his fists were shaking, knuckles white against his skin. 

"So I guess you sleep with everyone who even shows the tiniest bit of interest in you, eh, Jaeger? Who else have you slept with, you cock-hungry slut?" I was now simply saying whatever I could to hurt him. I wanted to hurt Eren the way he had hurt me. I wanted to make him feel small after he had built me up and crushed me. I was hardly even aware of what I was saying or doing anymore and before I knew it, I felt a sharp sting go across my right cheek. I was slapped. Eren slapped me. 

It took me a few seconds to register what had just happened. My right cheek was stinging with a million tiny little needles and I felt like it was on fire. Eren had slapped me with enough force to get me to take a full step back and simply stayed frozen in place from the complete shock of it all. I could hear heavy, labored breathing although it was slightly shaky as well and I didn't need to look at Eren to know that he was probably trembling with pure rage right now. 

I finally gathered enough of myself to slowly look back up at Eren and what I saw made my stomach sink horridly. Eren was red-faced, his shoulders shaking and the palms of his fists were slightly bleeding as his finger nails had broken past the skin leaving behind small red and irritated crescents in their absence. But it was his eyes, those fucking eyes were what ruined me. He looked absolutely hurt. Completely and utterly betrayed and I could see every swirl of emotion he was currently feeling in those damn expressive eyes of his. They were glassy and I could see clear, fat tears forming and getting ready to streak down his cheeks at any moment. 

"You fucking asshole." Eren's voice cracked as he nearly whispered those words out. 

I had never seen Eren look this vulnerable before. I was used to seeing that strong, hard-headed and determined kid moving around all over my office and tossing sarcastic, snarky comments at me or his cheeky grin whenever he knew he was getting to me. I was used to the kind, friendly and polite assistant who did his job flawlessly and always got along well with just about anyone he met. I did not like seeing this Eren, a hurt man who looked like his word was crumbling and it was all because of me. Because of what I had said. 

"Eren..." I started, my fingers twitched and before I knew it I was trying to reach a hand out to grab him, to console him maybe and hope that those tears wouldn't fall but before I could get anywhere near him, Eren jerked to the side and then he was storming out of my office. The sound of his boots clacking noisily against the shiny tile of the dead empty floor and I stayed with my hand slightly outstretched toward the spot where Eren had just been standing. Now there was nothing but empty air and space and I was left alone in my office, my cheek still stinging like hell but that pain was nothing compared to the one I was currently feeling in chest. 

I had hurt Eren. Eren was crying because of something _I_ said. I felt like curling up on the floor and hopefully just dying because nothing in this world could fix what I had just done. I had lost Eren and it wasn't because of Erwin or Reiner or whoever the fuck else, it was because of _me_. I pushed him away from me and now I was sure that I had destroyed anything I might have built with him. 

My body moved on it's own after that. My mind completely blank and on autopilot as I pulled out my phone and dialed Farlan's number. I needed to get out of here. I needed to go out and drink my problems away. To return to that blissful state of nothingness that came with passing out and simply forget about my own existence. I needed to escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THAT'S RIGHT. CRY. CRY AND SUPPLY ME WITH MORE WEEB TEARS SO THAT I CAN REMAIN FOREVER YOUNG WAHAHAHA! 
> 
> Also, you might notice that the chapters might become shorter in length compared to earlier chapters. 
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER: THE ERERI SHIP OFFICIALLY SAILS!


	18. Habits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“You gotta have style. It helps you get down the stairs. It helps you get up in the morning. It’s a way of life. Without it, you’re nobody.”_ — **Diana Vreeland**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend Paula did a good and found me this fucking amazing song. 
> 
> Here, we see the aftermath of little Levi and Eren's fight and also I did something I hate to do and that's switch p.o.v's but it was necessary for the chapter.

I was right back at it again. Club Hopping had become a regular thing with Farlan and I and I didn't see it stopping anytime soon. We were currently on our third club of the night and I had no fucking clue where the in the fuck we were and I was pretty damn sure I lost the keys to my apartment. The only things I had on me where my cell phone and luckily my fucking wallet, although how the fuck I lost my apartment keys and not my wallet I'll never fucking know. 

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO3GwWJW2gQ) I was currently working my way through another sweaty mob of fucking teenagers and the song that was vibrating through my chest had my blood pumping and my head spinning. I know I had a drink in my hand, definitely had a drink in my hand at some point but as to where I had put it, like fuck if I know. I was too strung out of another round of ecstasy pills to care. I was at least a little proud of myself for not rushing in to do some fucking LSD or worse; meth. 

After my fight with Eren I immediately went home and changed and met up with Farlan at some gay bar. After that, everything is a bit of a blur. I remember getting into Farlan's fucking white Camaro and driving to another night club before we eventually ended up at this one, which I can't even remember the fucking name of but as I stood in the middle of the dance floor, I found I didn't really give a shit.

_'♪ I eat my dinner in my bathtub then I go to sex clubs watching freaky people gettin' it on ♪'_

_'♪ Yeah, I've been around and I've seen it all ♪'_

_'♪ You're gone and I gotta stay High all the time to keep you off my mind Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh ♪'_

I swayed my hips from side to side as I simply lost myself to the song that was currently playing and pumping through the speaker system. The loud music and energy of the crowd was making feel a little light headed but I simply kept dancing and swaying, rolling my hips and moving through the congested crowds occasionally bumping into people who were stupid enough to bring their fucking drinks with them out onto the dance floor even though I was no better. By now, I was pretty sure that I probably smelled like fucking alcohol, sweat and whatever was left of my Chanel Bleu cologne I normally wore on nights out.

_'♪ Spend my days locked in a haze trying to forget you babe I fall back down ♪'_

_'♪ Gotta stay high all my life to forget I'm missing you Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh ♪'_

When I finally made my way to the edge of the crowd, I was feeling more than a little sick and before I could puke my fucking guts out all over the dance floor, I rushed toward the nearest door and rushed out, heaving all the contents of my stomach up in a filthy fucking back alley. I guess I got lucky this time that I didn't end up puking in someones lap or worse, in someone's face but just knowing that I was in some disease infested back alley was unsettling enough. My strung out mind didn't seem to think so however as I ended up stumbling over toward the opposite wall of the narrow space and I slumped against it, the corners of my vision getting blurry.

I fished around for my phone in my blazer pocket until I eventually got the damn thing in my hand and I fumbled with it as I tried to figure out how to use my own god damn phone. God, was more fucked up than I thought. I guess it had more to do with the drugs than anything else, I was normally pretty good with holding my alcohol so I knew it would take a lot more than few high balls and Martini's to get me shit-faced or worse, nearly blacking out like I was at the current moment. I could see my vision fading in and out as I thumbed through my contacts, not exactly sure what the fuck I was trying to do and before I knew it was I pressing my phone to my cheek and listening to the dial tone. 

It rang and it rang and it rang and when nobody fucking picked up, my drunk as redialed and called again at least four more fucking times. I wasn't even sure who the fuck it was I was calling but whoever it was, they did not want to fucking speak to me right now which only further annoyed me. Finally, on the fifth call someone picked up and I felt my stomach churn uncomfortably at the sound of the raw voice on the other end of the line. 

_"What the fuck do you want, Levi?"_ Eren's hoarse voice rasped on the other end of the receiver and I froze completely at the sound. 

He sounded like he had been fucking crying and I wouldn't be surprised if he had been. The memory of our argument came flooding back to me in a rush of vivid stills and I remembered perfectly how I had gotten slapped after calling Eren a slut and corning him in my office. Of fucking course. I swallowed thickly and opened my mouth to say something, anything at all but what was going to come out wasn't words but vomit. 

I quickly hunched over to the side and threw up nearly all over my shoes but somehow I managed to miss them. Thank fuck, because these boots were fucking expensive and they also looked nice as hell. I could faintly hear the sound of Eren's voice from the speaker of my phone, small and slightly distorted from the signal being pretty shitty but I couldn't reply until I was done puking my guts up. I'm sure it probably sounded gross from Eren's end of the line but I couldn't exactly help it. I was very drunk and on the verge of blacking out again and I barely had enough sense to remember that I was even still on the phone with him when I was done puking my guts up. 

"Eren," I started weakly, my voice sounded gravely and I could still taste the acidic bile in the back of my throat causing me to gag momentarily. 

_"Levi, what the hell is happening? What's wrong?"_ Eren's voice came in a little less weak and I could clearly hear the worry and concern in his tone. It filled my chest with warmth at the thought that I might be worrying him. 

I laughed dryly, "I'm in some filthy fucking alley at some club I don't fucking know the name of and I just threw up the last drink I had and probably the last thing I ate too. Pretty fucking sure I'm about to black out again." I was laughing and talking about it casually as if it was just another daily occurrence as I slumped back against the grimy brick walls that felt cool through the fabric of the white blazer jacket I had been wearing that evening. Damn shame to get it dirty. 

_"Levi,"_ Eren started calmly. _"What part of town are you in? Who are you with? Are you by yourself?"_

I grunted in response to his first question, "I don't really fucking know. Farlan just kind of drove us somewhere and I don't have any fucking idea where he brought us. I just know this club is really shitty and I'm by myself, Farlan ditched me earlier for some blond bimbo. Also, I'm pretty sure I lost the keys to my apartment somewhere so I'm fucked." I slurred. 

_"Okay, Levi."_ Eren's voice started dropping to something more firm and almost scolding. _"Describe the club to me as best you can. I'm coming to get you. Do. Not. Fucking. Move."_

I couldn't help but smile as I heard Eren return to his usual self. The cheeky little shit with a bad attitude and a mouth to go with it who wasn't afraid to put me in my damn place. It was good to hear him sound normal again and not like the wreck that I had made him.

I did my best to describe my surroundings to Eren and what the club had been like but soon I could feel myself losing consciousness once more and Eren's frantic voice on the other end of the line was fading in and out of my mind. _'Hurry up and get here, brat.'_ I thought as I finally starting losing myself to the black nothingness I had become accustomed to in the last week. I could only hope that Eren actually would be able to locate me in time.

\- ◆ -

****  
_Eren's p.o.v_  


It's 1AM on a Friday night and I'm currently on my way to go and pick my boss up from some alley behind a night club in probably one of the worst parts of town in the city. I had been pretty adamant about not answering Levi's phone call after the first time my phone rang and the screen showed _'Short Satan'_ was calling. Naturally, I ignored his first few attempts at calling me but after the fifth time my phone rang, I was more than a little annoyed. 

I was set on yelling at him, completely telling him off before hanging up on him but my mind was quickly erased of any ill thoughts when I heard his voice filter through and then the sounds of him throwing up violently. Needless to say, it was pretty gross having to listen to Levi puking up god knows what was in his system and I had every god damn right to just hang up on him and block the rest of his calls but I had a bad feeling in my gut that told me I shouldn't. 

After finding out that Levi had basically been ditched and was currently on the verge of blacking out in some alley, I couldn't just sit around and not go get his ass. I was still pissed at him for earlier, of fucking course I was, who wouldn't be? But I also wasn't a damn heartless bastard. I still respected him way too much to just allow him to pass out in some back alley where literally anything could happen to him. He was still my boss after all and despite our falling out, Levi was still the Editor-in-Chief of Recon Magazine and I was still his Assistant. My job came before my personal feelings. 

So that explains why I was currently pulling up outside of a packed night club, one that I knew painfully well since it used to a frequent hang out for me and some of my college friends back in my Freshman year. Once Levi had described Club Maria to me, I knew immediately which night club he was at and it took me little to no time to drive there and find the man slumped in the side alley like he'd said and he was indeed passed out. 

I sighed heavily before walking over to the man and crouching down next to his slumped form to check him over and make sure he wasn't harmed or missing anything. From what I could tell, Levi still had his cell phone loosely clutched in his grip and when I patted the pockets of his skin tight leather fucking pants, I could feel the outline of his wallet. Okay, so at least I know he wasn't fucking mugged while he was passed out. It was nothing short of a miracle considering this was not exactly the nicest part of town. 

"Okay." I huffed exasperatedly as I slung one of Levi's limp arms around my neck and pulled him up so that he was standing on his feet. I struggled at first under his surprising weight. Damn, Levi may look small but he was heavy as fuck. 

I stumbled out of the alley way, half-dragging Levi's unconscious body with me as I tried to make my way to Mikasa's jeep as quickly as possible. I should have just considered myself lucky that MIkasa had gone over to Annie's place earlier and ended up staying the night there leaving me with her car keys. I pulled Levi into the backseat of the jeep and laid him across the backseat before shutting the door and hopping back into the driver's seat. It had to be balls cold tonight in the lower 20's for sure and I was out here on the ice slick roads because my boss was apparently drunk and I wouldn't doubt if he was also on something. 

As I pulled away from the curb, I briefly wondered what I should do with Levi. He mentioned losing the keys to his apartment somewhere but that wouldn't be a problem since I had a copy of his apartment key for whenever I had to drop off dry cleaning or something like that but the problem was that Levi's apartment was located somewhere around Park Avenue and that was too far from our current location. Plus, I wouldn't feel comfortable just dumping him at his apartment to fend for himself when he was obviously in such a bad state. 

I cursed myself for being too nice for my own good. After everything Levi put me through this evening, I _should_ just leave his ass alone in his apartment to fend for himself but there was a little voice in the back of my head that kept nagging at me that it was definitely a bad idea. He could vomit in his sleep and choke and die and it would be all my fucking fault because I was being an immature douche bag. Sighing, I took a left turn onto an exit and decided I was better off taking him back to my house for the night. It was closer and this way I could keep on eye on Levi to make sure he wouldn't die in his sleep. 

As I drove, I let my mind drift back to the hours after I had left the office. I was obviously upset about my falling out with Levi but not nearly as upset as I was about him calling me a slut and accusing me of basically being a whore who slept with anyone who even so much as looked my way. His words had hurt and hurt me deeply. At the time, I didn't have the mind or the heart to throw his words right back at him. A notorious man-whore known for sleeping around with hundreds of men and women calling me a slut because I slept with two different guys, one just so happened to be my employer but that was out of my control. 

It wasn't like I didn't already beat myself up for my inappropriate and unprofessional act towards Erwin but the man himself had assured me that it was not my fault. Erwin made it very clear that he had been interested in me for months now and that things simply got out of hand that one afternoon in his office. He admitted to finding me attractive and I had told him the feeling was mutual. We agreed that it was simply sex and nothing more and as attractive as Erwin was, he was busy man and I could not see him choosing a lover over work. He was simply a workaholic through and through. 

Before I realized it, we were pulling up in front of my house and I turned Mikasa's jeep off and shoved the keys into the deep pockets of my varsity jacket. I quickly shuffled out of the driver's side and hurried to the back seat to help Levi into my house and it was not a fucking easy task. Like I said before, Levi was heavy as fuck first of all and he was still pretty much unconscious, leaving me with the only choice of carrying him bridal style up the three steps of my stoop, struggling to open the front door without dropping Levi's drunk ass and then awkwardly carrying my boss into my house and down the stairs into the basement where I slept. 

I was so fucking lucky Mikasa wasn't here. Otherwise I never would have made it through the front door without her chewing me out for bringing the bane of her existence into the house. I settled Levi down carefully across my bed and sighed with relief while rolling my tired arms. Seriously? Just what the hell was Levi made of? Lead? Relishing at the the warmth of the space heater in my basement room, I kicked off my boots and threw off the beanie and jacket I had been wearing. I had basically gone to pick up Levi in my PJ's which consisted of loose black sweat pants and an old band t-shirt I'd had since high school. It fit me a little snug and the graphic on the front was torn out but it was comfy as all hell. 

I turned back to Levi's sleeping form and groaned as I realized I couldn't leave him dressed the way he was. The man was [wearing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=141415794) god damn leather pants and the most fitted white blazer I'd ever seen in my life. Sighing in frustration, I started with Levi's boots and somehow managed to pull the damn things off. I set them by the edge of my bed and rolled Levi over onto his back so I could unbutton the white blazer. I tugged it gently off his shoulders until it was completely off and I folded it neatly and hung it over the railing of my bed before I yanked the grey v-neck sweater off his torso leaving Levi's chest bare. 

I swallowed and did my best not to stare but it was rather hard. Levi had a rather nice physique. I mean, I had always kind of known Levi was a very fit man but god damn, those abs could not be real. Ignoring the statuesque form before me, I continued to remove the rest of Levi's clothes. The last item of clothing to go was his fucking leather pants and I contemplated leaving them on but my conscience simply wouldn't let me. I mean, they were leather for crying out loud. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. 

So with a little bit of work and awkward maneuvering of Levi's body, I was finally able to strip him down to his fancy designer Calvin fucking Klein boxer briefs. Sighing once my task was done, I wrapped my large dark blue duvet around Levi's naked body and decided I was probably not going to be getting any sleep tonight knowing that my boss was currently occupying my bed and well, just my room in general. I could assume that he'd probably be passed out until at least past noon tomorrow, if I was lucky. So, instead of taking the couch, I settled on the make shift bed in my basement room which was basically just an old hand-crafted chair that had been in the basement for ages. The cushions on it were worn and torn but it was still more comfortable than sleeping on our lumpy living room couch. 

Grabbing an extra blanket from Mikasa's room upstairs and another pillow from the mountain of pillows I had just thrown around on my bed like some kind of pillow nest, I settled into the chair tucking my legs underneath me and wrapping myself up into a makeshift cocoon on the large, red chair. It was right next to my bed so I could still check on Levi through out the night but for the meantime, I felt my tired eyes growing heavier as I drifted in and out of consciousness. My eyes were focused on Levi's sleeping face. It was strange, even when he slept he still somehow managed to look troubled. 

Before I lost conscious, I half-wondered if what Levi had said earlier was really how he felt or if it was just the drugs and the alcohol talking? I would probably never be sure but I would find out in the morning regardless. Sighing softly through my nose, my eyes drifted shut and then I was lost in a dreamless sleep for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, we're finally getting somewhere with this damn ship!   
> Again, sorry about the shorter chapters but it's so I can update more frequently and also because I'm just so excited to get to the next part of this damn fic! 
> 
> Excuse any typos or errors, I'm running on about four hours of sleep and like two power naps. I'm ready for bed.


	19. If I could be your biggest Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“Pure, intense emotions. It’s not about design. It’s about feelings.”_ — **Alber Elbaz**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was way too excited to get this chapter done. We get to see these two dorks make up!

I woke up the next morning with the feeling of wanting to puke my guts up. I jerked awake and felt my head spin and I groaned loudly, my eyes felt like they were fucking glued shut and I literally felt like I got hit by a god damn train and maybe a few semi-trucks along the way. I tried to bring my hand up to wipe away the nasty crust from my eyes but my hand was being held down by something and I froze. 

Shit, what the hell happened last night? Where was I? I know for a fact I went out with Farlan to some shitty night clubs, got shit-faced again and then... and then what? I can't remember what the hell happened after my seventh drink. More importantly, where the hell had I passed out? I had always been lucky enough to make it back to my apartment loft just before passing out, this bed didn't feel like my own bed but the fact that I was in a bed at all was probably a miracle. 

Nausea momentarily forgotten, I finally managed to crack an eye open and I was blinded by the sunlight pouring in from a high window. I squinted as the bright light burned my tired eyes as my other eye slowly started to open as well. I tried my best to take in my surroundings through bleary eyes, from what I could see, the room I was in was mostly made of brick with a high ceiling and there were several black and white photographs hanging from the brick walls that looked vaguely familiar. There were soft white Christmas lights hung across the walls giving the already bright room a soft glow, if the sunlight wasn't already pouring in from that damn high window, I'm sure the Christmas lights would have made the room look rather cozy. 

Remembering that one of my hands was still incapacitated, I finally looked over to my left hand to see a familiar mop of brown hair resting on the edge of the bed while a slightly larger tan hand was gripping mine lazily. My eyes widened when I realized that it was fucking Eren who was holding my hand and apparently sleeping next to me. Well, okay, now that I was adjusting to the shock of this weird situation, he wasn't technically asleep _next_ to me but his upper body was resting on the edge of the bed with the side of his head cradled on top of his forearm. It looked like he had fallen asleep on a chair with the rest of his body was leaning forward on the bed. 

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-xB55s-oyA&feature=youtu.be)

My heart started pounding in my chest as I took in the situation. Now that I thought about it, I do remember calling someone last night but I thought I had been trying to call that fucking moron Farlan. Guess I called Eren instead and he must have come and picked me up from whatever night club I was at last. Slowly, I slipped back under the blankets and turned onto my left side to face him. I couldn't help but just stare at him while he slept and snored softly. It wasn't like I hadn't seen him sleeping before but I got a much better view this way. 

His chestnut hair was swept completely to one side of his face giving me a clear view of his sleeping face. Those thick, long lashes resting softly against smooth, tan cheeks. His rosy lips slightly parted as he took deep, even breaths. The rise and fall of his back as he was slouched over. I was entranced by the mere sight of him. So, this was what it was like to wake up to him in the morning, even if the position isn't the most ideal. I don't know how long I simply lied there and just watched him as he slept. Minute perhaps, although it felt like hours. 

But of course, my moment of peaceful bliss couldn't last as my nausea soon returned and I was forced to rip my hand out of Eren's loose grasp to bolt out of the bed while I did my best to hold in my vomit. I frantically searched for a door that looked like it might lead to a bathroom and luckily for me, there was a single wooden door near the far right wall and it had been left wide open and I could see a small half bathroom. I didn't hesitate to rush toward it, stumbling on shaky feet on my way but thankfully making it to the toilet that already had the seat up. Holy fuck, if Eren already planned all this then I really have to thank him because he thought three steps ahead of me. 

I puked until I had emptied my stomach completely. When I was left dry heaving, I slumped against the (thankfully) clean porcelain bowl and tried to catch my breath. My head was still slightly spinning and as I tried to stand up to wash my face, I got a minor dizzy spell and stumbled toward the vanity. Looking at myself in the reflection of the mirror, I grimaced. My hair was splayed against one side of my face, my bags had bags underneath them and I looked like complete and utter shit. 

I sucked my teeth lightly before I ran the cold water in the sink and started splashing some in my face to hopefully sober me up some. My head was still throbbing and I knew I'd be needing some pain killers if I planned on getting through this fucking day. Which reminded me... I had no idea what time it was. Not that it really mattered since it was Saturday, I knew at least that much. Once I was finished slapping some cold water on my face, I found a fresh hand towel laid out on the edge of the vanity and used it to wipe my face dry. So, maybe I should have noticed this first but as I glanced back into the mirror to try and fix my messy excuse for hair, I took note of my lack of clothing. 

I was quite literally in nothing but my underwear. _'Shit, Levi, this was no time for you to be getting aroused at the thought of Eren stripping you while you were shit-faced and unconscious.'_ I cursed at myself internally when I felt a familiar heat coiling up in my gut. Still, that must have been awkward as shit for Eren to have to strip his boss down to his underwear. Groaning at the dull ache in my head, I shuffled back out into what I guessed was Eren's bedroom and glanced around, taking in the room itself. 

I had already noted the brick walls, the high ceilings, the black and white photography posters and the Christmas lights but one thing I hadn't noticed before; It was surprisingly tidy. I had always sort of pegged Eren as the type to be organized when it came to work related things but a messy bastard when he was at home but apparently I was wrong. Eren's room was just as organized as his desk was at the office. There was a couple of small book shelves side by side on one far corner of a back wall with books lined by size biggest to smallest and then a desk situated not too far from his bed. The desk was clean, with the exception of a few stray colorful post-it's placed here or there, probably just reminders. There wasn't a single stray item of clothing, well, except my clothes from last night which had just been folded and hung over the edge of the railing of his bed and my boots on the floor but that was it. 

Swallowing thickly, I was forced to stop my impressed staring of Eren's bedroom in favor of looking for the kitchen to get something to drink. But first, I needed to put on some clothes. There was no way in hell I was going to put on the same clothes from last night, not when they probably smelled like booze and stale cigarette smoke and sweat. Plus, those leather pants were a pain in the ass to put on, I commend Eren for being able to get them off me somehow last night. Left with no other choice, I ended up walking over to a dresser and looking for temporary clothes to put on in the mean time. Eren didn't look like he'd be getting up anytime soon and I felt guilty. He had probably been up most of the night taking care of my dumb ass. 

Pulling out a pair of grey sweats, I slipped them on quickly and ended up having to roll up the bottoms since they kind of dragged, fuck Eren and his tallness. I then started sifting through Eren's t-shirts until I found a rather baggy, burgundy sweat shirt that said GEEK across the chest in bold white letters. Snorting to myself in amusement, I threw the sweat shirt on and frowned at just how baggy it really was. If this shit was baggy on Eren, then it was freaking humongous on me. But it was warm and I was freezing so I stuck with it (Plus it smelled like Eren so I was content). I would never be caught dead wearing shit like sweat pants or sweat shirts in the first place but I was willing to make this small sacrifice for the sake of not having to put on the same outfit I was wearing from last night. In the words of Karl Lagerfeld; _"Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants."_

Sighing in defeat at the clothes I settled to wear, I glanced around Eren's room once more and noticed a staircase leading up to what I guessed was the rest of their house. From what I recalled, Eren said he lived with his dad and his sister. Fuck. I really hoped I didn't run into anyone up there but I really needed a drink and some pain killers and I definitely didn't want to wake Eren up when he was sleeping so peacefully. 

Quietly, I crept up the stairs and winced when the old wood creaked under my weight. I wearily exited the basement and thankfully I was led straight into their kitchen. It was small and the walls were painted a warm cream color but it was cozy. Luckily, it smelled like someone had just made a fresh pot of coffee and I could see the nearly full pot just calling my name on the kitchen counter. Grabbing a blank black mug, I rinsed it out in the sink and helped myself to a cup. I wasn't normally one for coffee but with the way I was currently feeling, Caffeine didn't seem at all bad and it would do in place of not having black tea at least. 

I took a deep inhale of the warm drink in my hands and sighed with content. Now, if only I could find some damn pain killers. It was surprisingly quiet through out Eren's house and I took notice of the swinging kitchen door that looked like it led out to another room. I've never been one to let curiosity get the better of me but when it came to Eren, I tended to throw caution and reason to the wind. Plus, I would be a fucking liar if I said I wasn't the least bit curious to see the rest of his home. My bare feet softly padded through the swinging door and I was led into a spacious living room. 

Compared to the kitchen, the walls were painted in dark colors and the furniture seemed to follow the same scheme. Reds and browns and deep purples, even a little gold mixed in but it was definitely a very comfortable looking living room. There were two large sofas and a single love seat, all a dark chocolate brown in color and the leather looked worn and well used. There was a long, narrow coffee table in the center of all three couches and there were various photos and frames sitting on top of it. My interest peaked, I walked over to the small coffee table and sighed with relief when my bare feet came into contact with the rug, sparing me from having to feel the freezing floor boards beneath my feet. 

I picked up one of the photos with my free hand while my other hand cradled my mug of coffee that was half gone by now. The frame was heavy and obviously made of some kind of iron but painted to look silver with swirling intricate designs around the glass that displayed a portrait of a woman that looked eerily similar to Eren. In the photo she looked young and spry, similar sun-kissed skin, dark hair falling loosely around her slender shoulders and warm honey gold eyes stared back at me but it was the smile that got me. She had the same exact smile as Eren. 

I set the portrait down and reached for the next frame, studying it in the same manner as I had done the previous photo. This time, it was a family picture of three. The same woman from the previous picture but she was older and more tired looking, her smile was still radiant despite the lines under her eyes but she looked happy. There was a rather tall man standing next to her with rounded glasses, long brown hair that had bangs splitting down the middle of his forehead and a warm smile on his face. He had green eyes. But it was the scraped and bruised child that was being carried against the hip of the dark haired woman that caught my attention. 

The child was pouting at the camera and he had wild, messy brown hair that was short. His tiny cheeks were puffed full with air and he had his arms crossed over his chest tightly, tears forming in the corners of his mismatched eyes. One vibrant teal, the other a warm golden color. He had band-aids on his scraped knees and a faint bruise on his chin and I couldn't help but smile a little at the pouting child in the photo. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that this was Eren and his Mom and Dad. 

A soft clearing of someone's throat had me startling slightly as I whipped my head up to see the tall man from the photo. He was older and with plenty of newly forming wrinkles around his green eyes but for the most part he still looked the same. He was wearing a long robe and slippers and he also had a mug of coffee in his hand while the other was stuffed into the pocket of his robe. 

"Good Afternoon." he greeted with a small smile and a nod of his head. 

I nodded my head in return and placed the frame back down on the small coffee table, "Pardon the intrusion." I said after an awkward clearing of my own throat. 

"It's not an intrusion at all." the man said as he took a step into the living room and held his hand out for me to shake. "You're Levi, Eren's boss at Recon, right?" 

I firmly shook his hand, inwardly grimacing since I was never usually one for handshakes with strangers but this was Eren's father and something made me not want to make a bad first impression on the man. Although, I think it was a bit late for that. I was currently standing in the middle of this man's living room wearing his sons clothing after being taken care of by said son because I was drunk and high off my ass. Yeah, fucking great, Levi. You're a master at making good first impressions. 

"Yes, I hope you don't mind. I helped myself to a cup of coffee." I said. 

"Oh, not at all. Please make yourself comfortable, I'm Grisha Jaeger by the way." Eren's father motioned for me to take a seat on one of the leather couches and I hesitated before I eventually settled on just sitting. I wasn't really in any position to be my usual boss ass bitchy self to protest. "I noticed you were looking at the photos on the table." he started conversationally as he took the love seat across from me, we both crossed our legs and took slow sips from our coffee mugs. Shit, I hope he didn't think I was a creep. 

I nodded my head, "I was. Is the woman in the photos Eren's mother?" I asked. Well, might as well ask since he's trying to make conversation with me. Blunt and to the point. That was my motto. 

Eren's father smiled sadly, "Yes, she was." 

I raised a single brow at him, "Was?" 

His green eyes flicked up to meet mine and then that sad smile was slowly fading, "Yes. She died over ten years ago now when Eren was just a boy. It was an accident that took her suddenly. Drunk driver." he explained briefly and I felt myself frown. 

"I'm sorry for your loss." 

Grisha simply shook his head and smiled again, "Thank you but it was a very long time ago." 

We fell into a comfortable silence which I didn't want to break but I just had to open my big mouth like usual, when was I ever going to learn that enough was enough? My mouth got me into so much shit with Eren already. 

"Eren looks a lot like her." 

Grisha hummed in response, "He often gets told that. Carla, my wife, used to tease him about it quite a bit." there was a fond look in Grisha's eyes as he recalled something. "They were very similar, Eren and his mother. In fact, it seemed the only thing they didn't share in common was birthdays." he laughed softly. 

"Birthdays?" I questioned. 

"Yes. Eren's birthday is on March 30th but my wife Carla's recently just passed on November the 10th. Although, this year Eren couldn't spend it with us since he had to work late that day. He was upset about it but being the workaholic that he is, I'm sure whatever he was doing that night was very important if it meant missing his mother's birthday." Grisha nodded. 

I fell silent as I thought back to two months ago. November... that was when Eren first started working at Recon Magazine as my assistant. I took another casual sip of my coffee as I tried to rack my brain for what I had Eren doing that day that he missed his mother's birthday. It sounded like it was a big deal but nothing really came to mind. At least, not until I recalled that one night in particular where I had Eren stay out until nearly midnight and he had fallen asleep outside the front building of Recon. I had found him hunched over with semi-dried tears on his cheeks and suddenly it was all starting to make sense. 

I had fucked up. I had fucked up way before I even had anything to fuck up. Now it was all starting to make sense. Why Eren treated me like I was the very bane of his existence in his first month of working with me. Who the fuck wouldn't when I made him miss his mother's birthday just so I could fuck a couple of models in my office? I had ordered him to stay put for two fucking hours outside in the cold. At the time, I had done it to break the kid in hopes that he'd just up and quit. Now that I knew the real reason for why he had given me the cold shoulder that night after he'd woken up and stormed off, refusing my offer of a ride, it made total perfect fucking sense. 

Now that I thought about it. Eren had every god damn reason and right to have just left my ass in that fucking alley last night after all the shit I had put him through since the very moment I met him to now. Yet, he had gone out in the middle of the night after a drunken call from his asshole boss to pick my ass up, brought me back here and looked after me while giving up his own bed for my sake. I felt like such a piece of shit. I didn't deserve Eren's kindness. 

"Levi?" I heard Eren's tired voice call through the house before he appeared from behind the kitchen door. He was mid-yawn and one hand was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he entered the living room. 

I couldn't help but think he looked absolutely fucking adorable. His hair was sticking up in every direction, looking even messier than it usually did. The bleary look of sleep still in his eyes made his pupils look wide and innocent as he glanced around and eventually spotted me sitting on his couch. His thick eyebrows knitted together and his lips turned down slightly in a frown, although with his current half-awake state it looked more like a childish pout making me fight to hide a smile behind the rim of my mug. There was no way I was smiling like an idiot at this cute bastard in front of his dad no less. Did everything this brat do have to be so fucking adorable or attractive? 

"Good Afternoon, Son." Grisha said as he stood up from his spot on the love seat and smiling as he approached the sleepy brunet and brought Eren in for a one-armed hug and a kiss to his forehead. Alright, that only added to the cute factor. I was trying _really_ hard not to smile now and I might have even been biting the inside of my cheek to prevent said smile from forming. Damn it. What was with this family being all cute and shit? 

Eren groaned in slight protest and it was then I noticed that Eren may have looked like his mother but he had his father's chocolate brown hair and they were both nearly the same height. It was amusing to watch the way Grisha chuckled softly and ruffled Eren's hair leaving it an even bigger mess than before and it only made me want to run my fingers through it and fix all the stray hairs that were sticking up in a chaotic state. 

"I'll be in the kitchen making breakfast for you boys." Grisha said as he disappeared behind the swinging kitchen door. 

Now that Eren and I were alone, I suddenly felt very self-conscious. Eren was staring at me with his half-hooded eyes, his eyebrows still knitted in confusion as he looked at the shirt I was wearing and then back up at me. I sighed, 

"Are you wearing my-" 

"Yes, I'm wearing your shirt." I completed for him before he could make a comment. 

I heard Eren snort loudly and I glared up at him only to see him rubbing at the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, are those my sweat pants too?" he wasn't looking at me but at his bare feet as he spoke and I glanced down at the sweat pants that were still rolled up at the bottoms. 

"Well, I couldn't exactly walk around in my underwear, you know." I mumbled as I drank whatever was left of my coffee. "Your dad seems nice." I started conversationally, for lack of having anything better to talk about. 

Eren seemed relieved at the subject change and he finally looked at me as he smiled, "Yeah, he's pretty great." he said with fondness in his tone and it made the corners of my lips curl up slightly. Eren obviously loved his parents and it only made me feel shittier about this whole situation. 

"So, I think we need to talk." I started off slowly as I placed my mug down on the coffee table and kept my eyes focused on anything other than Eren. "You should probably sit down." 

Eren said nothing but I heard the sounds of his heels padding against the bare floor as he walked over to sit on the other end of the couch I was currently occupying. Well, that had to be a good sign, he wasn't entirely avoiding me. I took a slow breath in before I started, I didn't need to look up to know that Eren was probably staring at me expectantly. 

"I should be thanking you for, you know, going out in the middle of the night in fucking freezing weather just to come get my dumb ass. So, yeah." I said awkwardly. I wasn't used to having to apologize to anyone so I wanted to get this right because I meant it and this was probably the first and last time I'd ever apologize to anyone willingly. 

"Well, I couldn't just leave you in some back alley to get mugged or stabbed or something." he laughed lightly and the sound had my stomach feeling those butterflies all over again. Well, so far so good. 

"I also wanted to apologize for yesterday..." I mumbled. "I don't really have any excuses for myself but I was kind of still high from the effects of the drugs I took the night before. I still didn't have any right to say what I said though." I hoped I was sounding even the tiniest bit sincere because again, I wasn't fucking used to doing this shit and wasn't it just my luck that I naturally sounded bored and sarcastic all the time. 

There was a long pause of silence and then I finally heard Eren sigh, breaking through the thick silence that had lulled our conversation. I started bracing myself for the worst if Eren decided not to forgive me. It was only fair, after all. 

"Levi," Eren started softly. "I'm not going to lie. I was really pissed at you. No, I'm _still_ kind of pissed at you." I could hear the underlying anger in his voice but Eren was trying to keep it under control. "But, I have way too much damn respect for you as my boss to let personal feelings get in the way of my job." 

I couldn't help the humorless laugh that escaped as I threw my head back rolled my eyes, "Yeah, so much for that respect. I bet you probably think I'm just an alcoholic junkie after all the shit I pulled this last week. Coming into the office high or hungover as fuck." 

"Yeah, that was pretty irresponsible of you to do." Eren agreed and I looked over at him finally to see the little shit smirking at me. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're still Levi Ackerman, the best damn thing to happen to Recon Magazine. The reason I was so upset about the tabloid in the first place is that they were ruining everything you've worked so hard for the last couple of months. So, you hit a few bumps in your career, it happens to everybody, Levi. The important thing is, you're owning up to fucking something up and that's something a lot of people never do. You're not trying to make excuses for yourself or blame somebody else for your mistakes. You may be an asshole, but if it helps, you're the only asshole I'd be happy to work for." Eren's smirk softened into a genuine smile and I forced myself to look away from his damn attractive face and that one cute little dimple near the corner of his mouth. 

"Then you're an idiot because I would have already quit." I sighed. 

"Yeah, I guess I am an idiot. But this idiot is still your assistant and I'm sticking with you so get used to it, Boss. You should know by now that I'm not quitter." Eren laughed and this time, I didn't try to hide the little smile that made it's way onto my face. "Besides, we both know you'd be completely _lost_ without me as your assistant." he said dramatically. 

"Tch, Oi." I smirked as I playfully shoved him in the shoulder. Eren's laughter only increased as he toppled over onto his side. 

This was nice. Being with Eren so comfortably like this was nice and I was glad we somehow managed to fix things. After all the shit I pulled on him this past week, I'm surprised we're even in the same room together. This was only further proof of how amazing Eren was, he could be a little sarcastic fuck but when shit hits the fan he isn't a brat about it. I had truly feared that I had lost him for good and instead I was given a second chance to make things right. I had let jealously get the better of me and started playing a dangerous game of hopping night clubs, drinking until I was sick and taking drugs that couldn't fuck me up in the long-run but in the short-run and that was enough to nearly fuck up my career. One thing was for sure, though. I was done partying. 

"Oh," Eren suddenly sat up from his spot on the couch and he smiled at me again. "Smells like dad is almost done with breakfast. Come on, think you can stomach some solid food?" he stood up and held his hand out for me to take. My heart started thundering wildly in my chest as I hesitantly took it with my own. It was so large and warm and it fit with mine perfectly. Eren swiftly pulled me up to my feet. 

"I'm not sure but I guess I can try. Don't get pissed if I puke on your floor though." I deadpanned and Eren grimaced. 

"Right. Well, we'll worry about that later. Let's get you some pain killers for now. I'm sure your head must be killing you." 

"Much appreciated, Brat."

\- ◆ -

I managed to eat most of the breakfast Eren's dad made for the both of us which was simple Bacon, scrambled eggs and toast. I nibbled on the toast with another cup of coffee after taking the pain killers Eren's had given me and my stomach seemed to be okay with the toast so far so I risked eating most of my eggs and a strip of bacon. This wasn't normally my kind of breakfast but Grisha had been kind enough to make it so I tried to keep up the good impression. 

After breakfast, Eren let me borrow his clothes and with my clothes from last night packed into a paper bag along with my wallet and cell phone, Eren and I got into his sister's car and he drove me back to my apartment. It was still freezing outside despite it nearly being 3 o clock in the afternoon and it was sunny as shit but the roads were still slick with patches of ice and Eren was being careful as he drove into the city and exited on Park Avenue. 

My afternoon with Eren had been nice and I'd be lying through my teeth if I said I didn't enjoy my time with Eren and his father. Grisha was a humble man who loved his family but he was also a man of little words which I could fully appreciate. Within minutes, we'd be pulling up to curb in front of my new york loft and this was when Eren decided to speak after we'd spent the majority of the ride in mostly silence. 

"I'm pretty damn sure you told me you lost the keys to your apartment last night so I'm going to give you the spare that you gave me so you won't have to call a locksmith or something." 

As we pulled up to the curb and Eren parked, he dug into his pocket and started taking the shiny, gold key I had given him as a spare in case he ever needed to drop shit off at my apartment. After sliding it off the ring, He held it up for me to take but as I reached up to grab for it, he yanked his hand away and fixed me with a stern glare. 

"No more night clubs." he warned and it had me immediately rolling my eyes. 

"Tch! I know that, dipshit. I'm in no condition to go out anywhere, I feel like shit still and I want to sleep in the comfort of my own clean bed." I slouched in the passenger's seat and crossed my arms over my chest as I huffed indigently. I didn't care how childish I currently looked, I didn't need Eren to remind me about something I already knew. 

"And I'm coming over to your apartment next weekend to make sure you don't go out." He added with a satisfied smirk. 

Despite my heart doing an entire acrobatic performance at his words, I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. "What exactly are you getting at, Eren?" 

He rolled his eyes at me, "You're not fully recovered yet, Levi. You could easily relapse and go back to partying and drinking and no one would know until it's too late. That's why, next friday after work I'm driving you home and spending the evening with you and then Saturday night I'll come over and we can watch movies or something. Your pick." 

I stared at him, disbelievingly at first. Was he actually offering to come over to my apartment for a fucking _movie night_? Like if we were a couple of high school girls just casually inviting each other over to watch cheesy movies and eat popcorn and gossip and shit. If he thinks for one second that I was okay with this-

"Fine. Be prepared for an Audrey Hepburn movie marathon. We're going to educate your uncultured ass with one of the Fashion World's most beloved Fashion Icons." I snatched the spare key out of his hand and grabbed my bag of clothes before I hopped out of the red jeep and started for the double doors of my building. 

From the sidewalk, I could hear Eren's raucous laughter all the way from the car and when I looked back to smirk at him, He was shaking his head and rolling his eyes, a wide smile on his face as he pulled away from the curb and started his drive home. As I watched him drive off, I couldn't help the warmth that was filling my entire chest and the fluttering feeling in my gut as I sighed and pushed my way into the building of my loft. _'Eren was coming over to my apartment on Saturday.'_ I couldn't fight back the smile that made it's way onto my lips as I shook my head and started for the elevators.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I love that quote by Karl Lagerfeld. Also; THESE DORKS! Movie night! Movie night! Movie night!


	20. Your sunny, funny face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _"Paris is always a good idea."_ \- **Audrey Hepburn**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A loooot of old movie references in this chapter. -shrugs- What can I say? I'm an old movie buff and I watch way too many to be healthy. Also, I love Audrey Hepburn. In case that wasn't clear enough. 
> 
> DORKS BEING DORKS AND DOING DORKY THINGS DURING MOVIE NIGHT!
> 
> I REGRET NOTHING!  
> Also... HOLY SHIT 20 chapters already guys! I can't believe we've made it this far!

Just like I had said, the following weekend I went over to Levi's to make sure he wouldn't go out to night clubs again. It wasn't that I didn't trust him, but I definitely didn't want to risk waking up to another racy tabloid with Levi's drunken ass plastered all over the cover while some drunken club goers were grinding on him. Nope. I wasn't going to let it happen. 

Last week was crazy. Simply and utterly crazy. And as I drove toward Levi's mid-town apartment loft, I couldn't help but feel exhausted as I thought about all the shit that happened last week. First, Levi started coming into work drunk and high on something. It as frustrating to see him so out of character and unfocused on anything work related. I had shrugged it off at first but when it started happening everyday, I started to get worried. The tabloid was the last and final straw though, needless to say, my confrontation with Levi didn't go well. 

But that was in the past and surprisingly, Levi had actually apologized to me. Levi Ackerman. The King of Mean. A man known for never apologizing for anything he's ever done had apologized to me and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely shocked by it. It was sudden and unexpected and for a moment I had briefly wondered if he was still a little drunk from the leftover alcohol in his system. Fortunately, Levi seemed to be mostly sober if not a little hungover but mostly sober. He even looked a little remorseful and that was enough for me to put on my big boy pants and forgive him. 

Yeah, I had every right to hold a grudge against the man but contrary to popular belief, I knew when to be a mature adult and forgive and forget someone's mistakes. So, that was how I ended up suggesting a movie night at Levi's place to ensure he wouldn't relapse again. I had never really been inside Levi's swanky apartment loft, only ever entered the lobby of the building and left his dry cleaning with the maid but that's about it. Yes, Levi had a fucking maid. According to him, she only comes by to clean the place three times a week. 

Finally, I pulled up next to the curb in front of Levi's apartment building and I cut the engine. I knew the way up to his apartment by memory and one peaceful elevator ride later and I was standing outside of his loft door rapping my knuckles against the pristine white door. I heard a muffled 'Hold the fuck up.' come from the behind the wood of the door and I silently snickered to myself as I waited patiently for Levi to let me in. 

A couple of minutes later, Levi was opening the door to his apartment and I momentarily took a second to appreciate the sight before me. Levi was actually wearing casual clothes for a change. I mean, I had already seen him wearing some of my clothes the weekend before but it was still a bit of a surprise to see him _willingly_ wearing casual clothes of his own. Well, okay, maybe _casual_ was going a bit far. I meant, as casual as Levi fucking Ackerman can dress. 

He was wearing a charcoal grey colored v-neck sweater with white jeans that were so tight it should be illegal and he was surprisingly bare foot. The sweater fit him just right, not too long and definitely not in the least bit baggy and the deep v-cut of his sweater showed off his pale ivory skin, a muscular neck and prominent collar bones. I had said it once before but my boss was a pretty attractive guy and it wasn't hard to see how he had all these models and celebrities chasing after his ass.

"Oi," Levi said snapping his fingers in front of my face. "You gonna come in or just stand out there and stare at me all afternoon?" It could have just been my eyes playing tricks on me but I could have sworn I saw him smirk as he turned to walk back into his apartment leaving the door wide open for me to enter. 

Shaking myself from my thoughts, I stepped over the threshold of his door and remembered Levi's rules about entering his apartment from yesterday. He hated for anyone to wear their shoes inside so he made everyone remove them before they came in, which was why I was currently kicking off my shoes and placing them neatly by the door where another pair of Coco Chanel boots were placed. 

Levi's [loft](http://cdn.designhomes.pics/design/cdn.luxatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Greenwich-Street-Lofts-1.jpg) was, to put it simply, fucking amazing. The walls were lined with high windows so the sunlight poured over every inch of his apartment and he had the greatest damn view I'd ever seen in my life. His walls were painted in mostly greys and whites with soft lighting, overall. I thought Levi's loft fit his personality all too well. It reflected him perfectly, in my opinion. He even had a beautiful black grand piano and I always seemed to forget to ask him if he actually played or if it was simply for show. 

Levi led me into the living room where I was startled by a ball of orange fluff darting past me. The orange ball of fur weaved itself between Levi's legs and I realized that it was actually not just a big ball of orange fur but a big ball of orange fur in the shape of a cat. The angriest looking cat I've ever seen, actually. It looked down right murderous as Levi bent over and picked the grumpy thing up, _cooing_ at it like if it were a cute little innocent baby or something. 

"What in the actual hell is that?" I asked as I stared at the grumpy orange cat in Levi's arms. 

"Tch, what do you mean what the hell is this? It's my cat, you dumbass." Levi stroked the cats ears back and cooed at it some more. It was almost laughable to see _Levi_ of all people cooing and babying a cat as if it were a human baby. 

"I knew you had a cat but that thing looks evil. Why does it look so... angry?" I asked taking a cautious step toward Levi and the cat, the orange cat simply stayed glaring at me like if it were imagining murdering me. 

"Her name is Ravioli, you rude shit and she's not angry. That's just her face." Levi nuzzled the cat one more time before he practically shoved it into my arms. "Apologize. You hurt her feelings." he said as he fished his phone out of his back pocket and started recording a video with a smug smirk on his face. 

"Are you serious right now?" I asked with a roll of my eyes. "It's a cat, Levi." 

My boss frowned at me, "Doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings, shit face. Now, apologize and then we can get on with this movie night or whatever." 

I pouted as I looked down at the angry looking cat just lounging casually in my arms. Okay, so maybe it wasn't _evil_ but it still didn't change the fact that it looked like it wanted to steal my soul. At this close proximity, I could see that the cat had two different colored eyes that looked eerily similar to Levi's. One a greyish color and the other a bright cerulean blue. If it wasn't glaring at me all the time, I might have thought it was a pretty looking cat with it's fluffy orange fur and long fluffy tail. 

I sighed, "I'm sorry I called you angry..." I paused looking down at the cat who looked up at me indifferently. 

"Ravioli." Levi reminded me sternly when I didn't say his cat's name. 

I grumbled under my breath, "... Ravioli." 

I heard Levi snort and then he was lowering his phone down. He immediately started tapping away at his phone screen and I took the opportunity to put his cat back down on the ground and as soon as I did, the angry little thing was darting off somewhere out of my sight and I was left picking off stray ginger colored cat hairs from my black and white raglan shirt. 

"What are you going to do with that video?" I pouted at my boss as I walked over to one of his cream colored couches and plopped down. Levi followed after me slowly, 

"I'm sending it to Hanji, obviously. She's technically Ravioli's co-owner since she got the cat for me a few years ago. That shitty glasses will probably die of laughter when she sees this." with a final tap of his thumb, Levi locked his phone screen and slipped back into his back pocket as he reached for a remote.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "So, what are we watching first?" 

"We're starting with a popular classic. Breakfast at Tiffany's." Levi paused and looked over at me cocking an accusing brow. "You _have_ seen it before, right?" 

"Of course." I huffed. "Mikasa forced me to watch it with her once." 

"Once isn't enough. Watch it again." Levi said as he started the movie and then he was tossing me the remote as he padded off somewhere. 

"Where are you going?" I asked as I heard the instrumental version of 'Moon River' start in the intro. 

"To make tea and popcorn, obviously." Levi rolled his eyes. 

"But you're going to miss the beginning." 

"Please," he snorted. "I've seen that movie so many times, I know every single line by heart." and then he was disappearing behind a doorway leaving me alone to watch the intro to Breakfast at Tiffany's alone.

\- ◆ -

"Now I remember why I didn't fall head over heels in love with this movie."

"Why?" Levi inquired as he took another sip of his tea. 

"The romance story was shit." 

Levi glared at me like I had just personally offended his mother or something. 

"You're so fucking lucky I don't just kick your ass out of my apartment right now." he grumbled. 

I simply shrugged in response. It was how I honestly felt about the movie. I couldn't understand why people loved it so much. I mean, sure, it was Audrey Hepburn but I just couldn't bring myself to _love_ this movie the way Levi and Mikasa seemed to love it. To each their own, I suppose.

\- ◆ -

Levi put on Roman Holiday after we finished Breakfast at Tiffany's. According to him, it was his least favorite Hepburn movie but he still considered it a classic because of Gregory Peck.

"If it had been anyone else in the leading male's role, I would probably really hate this movie." he commented as he popped a handful of popcorn into his mouth. 

I nodded in agreement, "Is it weird to be hot for an actor who's already dead? Because Gregory Peck is definitely this particular gay man's wet dream." 

Levi snorted loudly in amusement, "I was starting to worry about you, brat. At least that's something we can both agree on. Gregory Peck was a babe for his time." 

"I think he would still be considered a babe in modern day. Just look at him. He's freakin Clark Kent without the glasses." I commented as I took the bowl of popcorn from Levi. 

"Yeah, I guess. Plus, he looks damn good in a suit. Pretty sure he wears glasses in To Kill A Mockingbird though." 

The rest of Roman Holiday went on like this with Levi and I commenting more on Gregory Peck and his hotness for an actor in the 50's and 60's than on the actual movie or plot line itself. I decided I only liked Roman Holiday because of Gregory Peck.

\- ◆ -

The third movie Levi put on, now that movie had me glued to it the moment I started watching it. It was the 1954 film Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina Fairchild and Humphrey Bogart as Linus Larrabee. It took place on Long Island and New York, fancy that, and Levi and I were absolutely absorbed in the film.

"Bogart is brilliant in this movie." Levi mumbled around the rim of his tea cup. He had gotten up to get a refill. 

"When isn't he brilliant?" I replied, never taking my eyes off the screen in front of me.

It was the scene where Linus kisses Sabrina while they're dancing to 'Isn't it Romantic' and I sighed while hugging my knees up to my chest. I was a total sucker for a good romance movie and this particular movie was slowly making it's way up to my favorites list. 

"Thank god she's falling for Linus. I didn't like David anyway." 

Levi laughed softly, it was a low, breathy sound. "I'm starting to notice a pattern in your taste of men, Eren. First Gregory Peck and now Bogart." 

I simply shrugged in response, "What can I say? I like the cool, older, mature type." 

Levi was silent at that and I simply continued to watch the rest of the movie entranced by the romance forming between Audrey Hepburn's character Sabrina and Humphrey Bogart's character Linus. In my opinion, it was a perfect romance story. Even if the ending left a lot to be desired.

\- ◆ -

"Okay, Brat. Are you ready to watch my favorite Hepburn movie?" Levi asked rhetorically. I opened my mouth to say something but he quickly cut me off. "Don't answer that. We're watching it."

Levi reclined into the couch and I noticed that we had somehow ended up sitting a little closer than when we had started earlier that evening. Levi's cat, Ravioli, was curled up next to my lap acting as a small heating pad and Levi and I were nearly brushing shoulders but I forced myself to pay attention to the title that came on screen. This movie, like Breakfast at Tiffany's, was in color. 

"Funny Face?" I questioned with a confused look at Levi who simply smirked and nodded. "It says Fred Astaire comes out in it. I never would have pegged you as a fan of Fred Astaire." 

"I'm not. Not really anyway, but I have a soft spot for this particular film." 

I quickly found out why. Funny Face was about a Fashion Magazine called Quality and I found myself getting sucked into the glamorous world of this movie as we watch the beginning together. I was also surprised to hear Levi quoting certain lines from the movie out loud. Particularly, the Editor-in-Chief Maggie Prescott's lines. 

_"A magazine must be like a human being. It comes into the home, it must contribute. It just can't lie around. A magazine must have blood and brains and bozazz."_

I watched him from the corner of my eyes with amusement. His eyes were glued to the screen and he was sitting in a similar position as I was with his knees brought up to his chest and his chin resting on top of them. Suddenly, as Maggie Prescott's character was getting animated about something, Levi was sliding off the couch and turning to look at me dramatically while still quoting the lines from the movie. 

_"Banish the black, burn the blue, and bury the beige. From now on, girls, think pink!"_

and then he was suddenly breaking out into the song 'Think Pink' and I was holding my aching sides as I tried to muffle my laughs. He was so into it, his face was so serious as he sang along to the words of the song. 

_' ♪ Think Pink! Think pink when you shop for summer clothes! Red is dead, blue is through, green's obscene, brown's taboo and there is not the slightest excuse for plum or puce or chartreuse! ♪'_

_' ♪ Think Pink! Forget that Dior says Black or Rust. Think Pink! Who cares if the new look has no bust? Now, I wouldn't presume to tell a woman what a woman ought to think but tell her if she's gotta think, Think Pink! ♪'_

I could see why this would be Levi's favorite Hepburn movie and after his little musical number, Levi was once again engrossed in the film as was I. It was strange to see Audrey Hepburn playing a plain jane instead of her usual posh, gaudy self. Or perhaps that was just my lingering thoughts of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Either way, I found myself enjoying the movie along side my boss who occasionally quoted some lines or sang parts of the musical numbers. At least he wasn't trying to dance said musical numbers. I don't think I'd survive the evening. Still, it was nice to see this new side of Levi. 

_'♪ I love your Funny Face. Your Sunny, Funny face. For you're a cutie with more than beauty. You've got a lot of personality for me. ♪'_

_'♪ You fill the air with smiles for miles and miles and miles though you're no Mona Lisa for worlds, I'd not replace your sunny, funny face. ♪'_

I noticed out of the peripheral view of my eyes that Levi had been staring at me through out Fred Astaire's Funny Face number but I paid it no mind. Instead, I threw myself into the movie and all it's beautiful scenery of Paris, France. I sighed as Fred, Audrey and Kay started their musical number 'Bonjour, Paree' on the streets of Paris. I nudged Levi's shoulder a bit and he turned to look at me, frowning a bit that I was interrupting him during his favorite movie. 

"Aren't you going to serenade Ravioli in french?" I teased with a small smirk of my own but I was not expecting Levi to smirk back and lean over to pick up his angry cat. 

"Oh, so you like my singing huh, brat?" and then he was standing up from his spot on the couch again and singing 'Bonjour, Paree' to his fucking cat. 

_'♪ I'm strictly tourist but I couldn't care less when they 'Parlez-vous' me then I gotta confess that's for me. Bonjour, Paree! ♪'_

_'♪ This has got to be illegal what I'm feeling 'Tres gai!', 'Tres chic!', 'Tres magnifique!', C'est moi, C'est vous, C'est grand, C'est tout, too! ♪'_

The fact that he was actually serenading his cat in french was the best. The fact that Levi actually _knew_ how to speak French, well, that was news to me. 

"You know how to speak french?" I asked, once my laughter had subsided and Levi was plopping down on the couch. Audrey was in the middle of a dramatic dance solo and Levi seemed less than interested in the dance numbers as he turned to look at me. 

"Of course I know French, I _am_ French." he snorted. Ravioli had jumped from his lap and into mine instead and I tensed at having the grumpy looking feline so close to me. 

"Well, excuse me for not knowing this piece of information." I laughed. "You can't expect me to know everything about you." I absently started stroking at Ravioli's soft fur, treading my fingers through the longer parts. 

"Well," Levi started. "Now, you know." he crossed his arms over his chest and we continued to watch the movie in comfortable silence. 

Funny Face was a terribly long movie. Almost two fucking hours and by the time it was over, the sun had been long gone and my stomach was grumbling with hunger. Levi offered to order take out since he didn't feel like cooking dinner and refused my offer to cook for him. After threatening me not to get a single crumb of food on his furniture or his floor, Levi and I sat and ate on the couch in his living room. 

"So, if you're french then does that mean you grew up in France?" I asked after swallowing a mouth full of orange chicken. 

"No. I grew up in Jersey." he answered simply as he scooped up another mouthful of fried rice with his chopsticks. 

"But have you ever been to France? Paris to be exact?" I don't know why I was suddenly so obsessed with Paris, France. I blamed Funny Face and all it's beautiful scenery. 

"Several times. It's one of my favorite places to travel to every year. Nobody does Fashion like the French." He took another sip of his tea and set his take out box down on the coffee table before giving me a skeptical look. "Why all the sudden questions about Paris, brat?" he asked straight out. Leave it to Levi to be so blunt. 

I shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I'd like to see it once before I die. There's just something about it..." I trailed off as I tried to think of a specific reason for why I wanted to go to Paris. 

Levi was silent for awhile and I continued to eat. Ravioli was curled up on the rug in front of the couch, her tiny paws tucked tightly underneath her fluffy body looking more like a fuzzy, orange meat loaf with her tail wrapped securely around her. 

"Oi, Eren." Levi suddenly spoke, catching my attention immediately as I turned to look at him. "You know Fashion Week is still going on right now. Currently it's taking place in London, next week it'll be in Milan." 

I nodded my head in understanding, "What about it?" 

"After Milan Fashion Week, it'll be Paris Fashion week. As Editor-in-Chief of the American Branch of Recon Magazine, I'm obligated to go like I do every year." he explained. Suddenly those mismatched eyes of his found mine and I stared back at him in confusion. 

"What are you trying to say exactly?" I asked raising a brow at him in question. 

He sighed, "I'm trying to tell you that as my assistant, you're obviously needed at my side. Which means you'll be going to Paris. With me. In two weeks." 

I nearly dropped the flimsy take out box in my hands at Levi's words. I was going to Paris? In two weeks? Holy shit, I felt like this was a dream. Am I awake right now? Was this real life? I blinked at Levi, eyes wide with confusion and he simply stared back at me as if waiting for some kind of response. His eyes almost looked apprehensive even, like he feared I would refuse this information. 

"Holy shit," were the first words I breathed. Very eloquent, Eren. You deserve an award. "I'm going to Paris." I eventually laughed with a goofy grin spreading across my face. I couldn't help it. I was beyond ridiculously happy. 

I thought I heard Levi sigh with relief but I simply brushed it off as my own imagination Levi smirked while picking up his cat from the ground. Ravioli only mewed lazily in protest but otherwise allowed Levi to carry her as he started stroking her ears back. 

"Now that you know, I suggest making plans and preparing for the trip. Tell me you have a fucking passport." he exasperated. 

I nodded quickly, "Of course I do!" 

He gave me a curt nod in response, "Good. Since we're on the topic, remind me to look for a reliable cat sitter for Ravioli. Normally I would dump her on Hanji but since Hanji is going to be joining us in Paris, I don't have that fucking option." Levi frowned. 

"What do you need a cat sitter for? Can't you just leave it with a family member, like your mom?" I suggested with raised eyebrows. 

Levi laughed darkly, "She's allergic to cats." 

Ah, so that's why he had a cat in the first place. To stop his own mother from coming to surprise visit him whenever she felt like it. I sighed and shook my head in disapproval at the smug look on his face. 

"You're evil, you know that?" 

Levi only shrugged, "So I've been told."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paula did another good for suggesting all the scenes with Levi's cat, Ravioli and was my guinea pig (beta-reader... kinda). 
> 
> PARIS FASHION WEEK!!!! THE CITY OF LOVE! NEXT CHAPTER!


	21. Je Suis en Haute Couture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“You either know fashion or you don’t.”_ — **Anna Wintour**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit's about to get Fierce again. FASHUN. FASHUN.
> 
> By the way guys, I'm still taking fic commissions so if you'd like to pay me to write something SnK related for you, here's my [commissions page](http://sailorheichou.tumblr.com/commissions) with all my info, prices and rules!

Armin was driving me to the airport on Sunday afternoon. It would be at least a 6-7 hour flight and I hoped I'd be busy enough to be so distracted on the flight to Paris that I wouldn't even notice the time. The last thing I needed was to have to sit in a cramped plane for 6-7 hours with strangers and have absolutely nothing to do. 

As we drove to the airport, Armin and I engaged in casual conversation about everything and nothing at all. It was why I was able to be good friends with him despite only knowing him a few months. Armin was a good listener, he gave awesome advice and he was just overall comfortable to be around. I wondered how I'd never met him sooner considering he said he also used to live on my side of town and not that far away from my house either. 

"So, you and Levi have been getting kind of... friendly lately." Armin kept his blue eyes trained on the road in front of us but I noticed the knowing smirk he had on his face and I rolled my eyes. 

"I already told you, Ar. I'm only trying to help him back on his feet. After the tabloid incident he's not fit to be alone on the weekends and I only hover over him so much at work because I'm worried he might become overly stressed and relapse." I explained with an annoyed expression. 

Movie night had kind of become a thing with Levi and I. Every Friday after work I'd come back to his apartment with him to make sure he didn't go out to any clubs or even meet up with Farlan. The last thing he needed was to go out clubbing and overdose on too much Ecstasy or worse. Every weekend we would marathon a certain actor or actress from the Golden Hollywood age. After the Audrey Hepburn movie night, the following weekend we had a Humphrey Bogart Marathon and last weekend we had a Marilyn Monroe marathon. Some Like It Hot ended up being one of my favorites. 

"Right." Armin drawled. "So, what do you and the King of Mean do when it's just the two of you. Alone. In his apartment. Alone... Just the two of you." 

"I get the point, Armin." I sighed. "And we don't do anything except watch old black and white movies, eat take out or sushi and play with his angry cat. That's it, so you can get your mind out of the gutter now, Arlert." 

Armin snorted in amusement, "Eren, I hope you realize just how weird this sounds coming from you. Weren't you the one going on and on just a couple of months ago how you hated Levi's guts and _loathed_ him? We're talking about the guy who threatened you on your very first day at Recon Magazine, treated you lower than dirt and made your life a living hell up until just recently." 

I shrugged halfheartedly, I didn't really know what to say since Armin was right after all. I absolutely hated Levi up until just about a month ago but lately, I'd been spending so much time with him and getting to see all the different sides of Levi that I almost completely forgot that he was still Levi Ackerman, the King of Mean. The guy that made my life miserable my first month working at Recon Magazine. I couldn't allow the line between professionalism blur. Levi was my boss, nothing more and nothing less. 

" He's not all that bad, you know." I mumbled a bit under my breath as Armin started playing a CD on the stereo. "I mean, yeah, he's still an asshole. He'll probably always be an asshole but he's human too you know. Just like the rest of us." 

I wasn't really sure what I was trying to prove to Armin by saying that but I felt like I had to. It was true, after all. Spending the last couple of weekends with Levi had made me realize that he wasn't just some heartless machine who only thought about work and himself. He had problems, just like anyone else. He had his own demons to fight everyday, just like everyone else. He had feelings, just like everyone else. Levi Ackerman was Human and he'd made me realize that. 

Armin hummed in response, "Well, enough about Levi for now. Let's talk about you, Mr. Big Bad Heart Breaker." 

Armin grinned at me and I cocked a questioning brow at him, "What are you going on about now?" I asked cautiously. 

"Oh, just the fact that you've caught the interest of nearly every guy in the office. Slept with and kind of sort of dated Reiner for awhile, had Marco wrapped around your little finger, don't think I don't know about the way Erwin and you look at each other. I don't know what happened the day I was absent from work and you had to fill in for me but I know I'll find out eventually. Don't try to deny it, you've become a Heart Breaker since working at Recon and you don't even realize it." the blond tipped his head back and barked out a laugh and I sunk a little lower in my seat, feeling my cheeks heat with embarrassment and shame. 

"I-I'm not _that_ bad... am I?" I mustered up enough courage to glance up at Armin who was giving me an apologetic look and I groaned. "Oh my god, I'm turning into Levi!" 

Armin only laughed but I could hear him fiddling around with the controls on his stereo and then he was raising the volume when a particularly familiar song came on. I gave Armin an incredulous look. He had to be kidding. He wasn't kidding. Armin was singing the lyrics, give me the strength not to jump out of this moving car. 

_"♪ Rule number one, is that you gotta have fun but baby when you're done you gotta be the first to run. ♪"_

I got a playful shove in my arm and I looked over at a smiling Armin who was trying to coax me into singing the next verse with him. 

"Come on, Eren. I know you know the words to this song!"

Armin tried and he succeeded because he was right. I did know the words to this song and I sang the next verse with a wide grin. 

_"♪ Rule number two, just don't get attached to somebody you could lose. So, le-let me tell you... ♪"_

Finally, Armin chimed in for the chorus and the two of us sang together like a couple of idiots as we drove to the airport. At least it made the drive fun and a lot less longer. 

_" ♪ This is how to be a Heart Breaker, boys they like a little danger. We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player singing I lo-lo-love you ♪" _

_" ♪ This is how to be a Heart Breaker, boys they like the look of danger. We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player singing I lo-lo-love you (at least I think I do) ♪" _

Armin and I both turned and pointed at each other as we both mouthed 'At least I think I do' and we busted out laughing as we continued to sing and dance to Marina and the Diamonds. The ride ended up being made a lot shorter and soon we were pulling up in front of the airport. Armin left his car running with the emergency lights on as he helped me get my bags out from the back of his car. I didn't need to bring much, but Mikasa had insisted on packing an extra suitcase with clothes she specifically picked out for me to wear since she apparently still doesn't trust me to pick my own clothes. It was frustrating but I appreciated the sentiment. 

"Alright, so I guess I'll see you in a week." Armin said with a soft smile as he rounded the front of his car. 

I gave him a small wave, "Yeah, I'll probably text or call you and Mikasa after we land. Thanks for the ride, Armin." 

"No problem, Eren. Just try not to fall in love with some suave french men while you're there. They don't call it the City of Love for nothing." 

and of course, Armin just had to throw in one jab at me before he leaves. Before I could retort, Armin was already in his car and driving away and I sighed while shaking my head but I couldn't help but smile as I grabbed my carry on bags and walked into the airport, looking for either Levi or Hanji.

After walking around aimlessly in the airport, I eventually spotted Levi first. He was sitting alone in an empty lobby in a plush chair, he looked like he was on a phone call so I swiftly approached him and made my presence known by waving at him from across the room as I walked toward him. He couldn't tell if he saw me or if he was even looking at me as I approached since he was wearing a pair of dark Chanel sunglasses. His was also [wearing](http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/c4/4e/04/c44e0488d7f8f2a990b43eb2f2bd5cec.jpg) a very simple outfit, black on black to be precise. Now, I'd seen Levi in several suits and outfits of all varying shades and colors but I would be a damn liar if I said I didn't think my boss looked even the slightest bit attractive in the simple black trousers, black dress shoes and black dress shirt that had just the right number of buttons popped at the top to reveal smooth alabaster skin and a pair of collar bones that I'd gotten to see on more than one occasion now. 

Levi removed his dark sunglasses from his face and my eyes met those familiar striking Grey and Blue orbs. I had always known that my boss was ridiculously attractive, I thought that since the very first time I saw him but for some reason, my chest was feeling a little strange as those eyes locked with mine and I felt myself swallowed thickly and my palms felt sweaty as I closed the distance between us. Levi ended his call and put his phone face down against his thigh as he watched me approach him, my bags in hand and his off to the side of him. 

"Running a little late, aren't we?" he drawled in that low, husky tone of his. 

Again, I swallowed. "Uh, well you and Hanji never said which terminal to meet you at so I've kind of just been walking around searching for any sign of you guys." my voice sounded small even to my own ears and I quickly cleared my throat. 

Levi snorted, "Did you ever think of calling me and asking, brat?" 

As attractive and suave and Levi may seem on the outside, he was still Levi Ackerman, my boss who had a shitty sense of humor (literally) and his sarcasm was apparently a sharpened skill of his. Despite that, however, I had come to appreciate those qualities in Levi because my boss was many things but a Liar was not one of them. He always speaks his mind and if there's something he doesn't like, he's definitely not afraid to let you know what it is exactly that he doesn't like about something. He's an asshole, but an attractively honest asshole and I could live with that. 

"Yeah, well, I didn't really think it'd be that hard to find you. Anyway, where's Miss Hanji?" 

I set my carry on bag in a seat next to me as I sat across from Levi while I kept the other one near my feet. Levi frowned at the mention of Hanji's name and I bit back a snicker because he could be such a child when it came to Hanji or Erwin. Levi Ackerman, Editor-in-Chief and notorious man-whore known for being the King of Mean was pouting like a spoiled brat. Surely, nobody but a few people like Hanji, Erwin and I actually knew Levi had this kind of side to himself. Me more so since I've seen the side of him that's a huge movie buff, almost to the point where he's nerdy about it. 

"That shitty-glasses. She has no consideration for anyone, I swear to fuck. I specifically gave her the wrong time to meet up at the airport, knowing that if I told her the flight leaves at noon, she won't arrive until the very last second. So, I intentionally told her the flight takes off thirty minutes earlier so that fuck-face would actually get here on time for once. Apparently, thirty extra minutes wasn't enough time for her." he scowled.

I could only sigh because it was just like Hanji to still be late even with extra thirty minutes to spare. Levi and I fell into a comfortable silence as he went back to fiddling with his cell phone and I pulled out mine to do the same. Since we still had a few more minutes to spare before our flight left, given that there were no sudden delays, I started snapchatting with Armin. That was a bad idea. 

Armin ended up reminding me about our little karaoke session in the car ride over to the airport and the little evil bastard wouldn't stop teasing me about it. So, in typical Eren Jaeger fashion, I fished around my bag for a pen and drew a heart on my upper right cheekbone and started taking selfies and sending them to Armin making gross duck faces. I was so caught up in making ugly faces at the camera that I completely forgot where I was and who I was with to be more precise and when I looked away from my phone, I saw Levi downright staring at me. 

I felt my cheeks burst into flames but I was not about to let it show how embarrassed I truly was for being caught doing such ridiculous things. 

"W-What?" I wanted to smack myself for how weak my own voice sounded to my own ears. 

Levi didn't answer right away. He simply stared at me for a long moment, one of his legs crossing over the other as he leaned back in his chair and then there was the tiniest hint of a smirk playing on his thin lips and I tried to stop myself from staring right back at him in slight wonder and amazement because Levi smiling in any way or form was still such a rare thing, even though I'd seen his smile a couple of times now which was probably more than anyone else in the world. 

Finally, Levi speaks. "The heart is on the wrong side, dumbass." and I'm utterly mortified and embarrassed. 

Eventually, Hanji arrived only minutes before we had to board our flight. The entire plane trip to Paris, I couldn't bring myself to look at Levi directly. This was going to be a long week in Paris.

\- ◆ -

8 hours later and we were finally landing in Paris. It had been a long and tiring flight and it was early morning when we arrived in Paris, the sun was barely up. Luckily, I had managed to sleep on the plane, which according to Levi was some kind of Miracle because with turbulence and the ever restless tornado known as Hanji it was practically impossible for anyone else to sleep for more than an hour. I slept for 4 hours straight.

As we waited for the town car to come and pick us up from the Air Port, Levi was already whipping out his cell phone and dialing a number. I eyed him curiously and he caught my stare. I only needed to lift my brow in a silent question before he was sighing softly, his breath coming out in a small vapor of smoke due to the cold temperature. 

"I'm calling Ravioli's sitter." Levi mumbled. 

"You mean, Jean?" I asked with a slightly disgusted face. We may have briefly put aside our difference at New York Fashion Week for the sake of Sasha but that didn't mean I suddenly thought of him as a friend now. A horse was still a horse. 

"Yeah. I couldn't really call from the Plane and I don't trust the phone on the plane to be sanitary in the least. I need to make sure the idiot isn't just taking advantage of my place and actually looking after Ravioli the way I told him he should." 

We fell into that familiar comfortable silence once more as I kept an eye out for the car that was supposed to be picking up and Levi waited for Jean to answer. I didn't need to look for myself to know that Levi was losing what little patience he had the longer Jean didn't answer and when I thought about it, there was still a timezone difference but Levi didn't seem to care that he was currently calling Jean in New York at close to 2AM. 

Eventually, I guess Jean answered since by the time the town car that was supposed to pick us up arrived, Levi was scowling as he sat in the backseat of the town car. I sat next to him and tried not to laugh as he gave Jean a good tongue lashing over something I wasn't clear on. 

"Tch, do you think I give a shit if she clawed your new Cashmere sweater to shreds? Who the hell wears expensive designer sweaters to groom a cat?" Levi had said at one point and it took all of my willpower not to just start rolling on the floor dying of laughter. 

Eventually, it got ridiculous when Levi demanded Jean to let him facetime with his cat and at this point, I had to put a stop to everything. It was just pure luck that just at that moment we were arriving at the Hotel we'd be staying at and that was the only thing that stopped Levi from facetiming with his cat. He wasn't happy about not getting to see for himself if Ravioli was actually okay but he dealt with it and we got our things and checked into our rooms. 

I had expected the fancy hotel, the fancy town car and shit, even the fancy first class seats we had on the plane but I certainly was not expecting the fancy V.I.P. suites we had, me to be more specific. I would have been fine with a simple hotel room but apparently, simple was not in this hotels vocabulary. I guess I should have expected that since the Lobby looked like it had been carved out of a slab of gold but well, that was my own fault. Imagine my surprise when I walked into my suite and basically saw the equivalent of a small New York apartment on the upper east side.

The view from my room was simply indescribable and calling it Gorgeous would be a major understatement. I hoped that during my stay here in Paris, I'd at least be able to spend some time in my room simply admiring the view. I felt like I could see everything for miles around from that large window but as nice as sitting back and enjoying the view would be, I was much more eager to actually get out there and experience what Paris, France had to offer for myself first hand. 

I didn't have much time to relax and unwind since Levi had to be at the Paris Fashion Week Venue at noon and before that he had several meetings he had to go to and it was only 8AM. There was no point in mourning over the loss of what could of have been a potential 4 hour nap after an 8 hour flight, so instead I jumped into the shower and got cleaned up and dressed in a fresh set of clothes. I didn't bother to wear any of the nice designer clothes Mikasa had packed for me. This trip wasn't supposed to be about me but about doing my job as Levi's assistant, although that didn't mean I still didn't put some effort into the outfit I was currently [wearing.](http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/28/4b/63/284b63053632cca68761da9ca7156458.jpg) It was simple, smart but stylish. 

Grabbing the essentials I knew I'd need for a day of running around Paris with Levi, I made my way for his room which was right next to mine. I knocked lightly on his door and when I heard his usual greeting of 'What the fuck is it?' I pushed his door open and saw Levi already showered, changed and ready to go. I could smell his strong aftershave and noticed he styled his hair a little differently than usual. Half of it was gelled back while the other half allowed his fringe to hang in his face. He was also wearing a simple but stylish three piece charcoal black suit with a royal blue button up. The black and blue in his outfit really brought attention to his mismatched eyes. 

"You have a meeting with the Editor-in-Chief of the Paris branch of Recon Magazine. Then you have a suit fitting and after that lunch with Miss Hanji." 

"Tch. But of course I have a lunch meeting with Hanji. Any chance of canceling that and just coming back to the hotel for lunch?" Levi asked as he adjusted his suit jacket and clipped on his cuff links. 

"I'll see what I can do." I said in a sing-song tone of voice as Levi finished dressing and he strode pass me out the door of his suite. 

"Good. Let's get this shit over with."

\- ◆ -

Paris Fashion Week was by far a whole other level compared to New York Fashion Week. Everything was so... gaudy. I should have expected it, considering it's Paris, Fashion Capitol of the world. While running around with Levi most of the morning, I got used to the smell of cigarettes and overwhelming perfume and cologne no matter where we went. Even now, as I sat next to Levi in the front row of the Fashion Show waiting for them to start, A women with long blonde hair was chain smoking like nobodies business.

I was currently on my bluetooth, taking calls for Levi and going through his schedule for next week. An assistant's work is never done, especially the assistant of Levi Ackerman. It was tiring work but I like the fast paced work of my job. Levi, on the other hand, seemed determined to try and distract me from working and taking calls. The last straw was when he actually reached for my bluetooth and yank it out of my ear while I was in the middle of a call. 

"Enough with the damn phone calls. You've been taking calls since we got off the plane this morning, you're allowed to take a fucking break you know." Levi shoved my bluetooth into the pocket of his suit, which mind you was a very nice designer suit. 

I gave him an incredulous look but settled on crossing my arms over my chest and sighing instead of arguing. 

"There's no such thing as a break when you're the assistant to Levi Ackerman." I smirked when I heard Levi snort, our eyes met briefly and I could see amusement twinkling in those silver and blue eyes of his. It was a look I'd only seen a small handful of times since spending more time with Levi every weekend. 

"Shut it, Brat. I'm the boss and I'm telling you to take a breather. All work and no play will send you to an early grave, you know." 

"Yeah, well you're still alive and kicking, aren't you?" 

Levi finally tore his gaze away from mine and that twinkle of amusement seemed to disappear, "Barely." he mumbled. I decided it was better if I didn't ask what he meant by that. I more or less had an idea, anyway. 

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93rEpICO62A) Finally, the lights in the venue dimmed and the runway lit up beautifully. The room quieted down and a familiar piano intro started. To say I wasn't surprised that they chose a Lady Gaga song for the models to walk to would be an understatement. It should have been the most obvious thing in the world, if I was being honest but the song wasn't one I wasn't completely familiar with and of course, it fit the runway show perfectly. 

The models would enter from a below a beautiful staircase and onto the main runway which was circular. As soon as they were on the landing they would walk the circumference of the runway in a circle so that all sides of the venue could get a good view of the outfits they were displaying and then once they had done a lap they would retreat back down the staircase and a new model would appear right after. The staircase as well as the runway was white and gold and I found myself amazed by the shimmering outfits and the glamorous models that strutted with such confidence. 

It brought back memories of New York Fashion Week and how I had to participate in it rather than stand on the sidelines and watch. I wondered if I looked as glamorous or as fierce as the models I was currently watching. Both men and women alike, they held their heads high, kept their eyes focused straight ahead of them and strutted with meaning in every step. This was Fashion. This was Haute Couture and I could clearly understand why Levi and Hanji and all the others at Recon took their jobs so seriously, even though only a few months ago I thought these glamorous outfits were merely just overpriced clothes.

I was simply stunned by the entire fashion show and developed an entire new outlook on the work Recon Magazine did. Never in my life did I think that watching men and women walking on a runway wearing glitzy clothes could make my heart pump excitedly and knowing that I was apart of this world made me wish I had discovered all of this sooner. I now fully understood Levi's love of Fashion and all of it's up's and down's. The fashion world wasn't all beauty and glamour, I knew that. It was an industry not just anyone could work in and knowing that fact just made me respect Levi even more. 

Even in this room full of world famous designers, Levi still demanded attention. Even when there were gorgeous models of all types on stage, there were several eyes on the man I was sitting next to and yet Levi didn't blink an eye. He kept his focus on the runway models strutting back and forth in front of us, he held his head high and simply stole the spotlight and all he was doing was simply sitting there. I found even myself staring at him a little more than I should and I quickly looked away, feeling my cheeks heat with warmth. My heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest and I wondered if it was just the lingering effects of the fashion show or if it was due to something else. 

Before I even knew what was happening, the Fashion Show was over, Levi and I had gone back to the hotel to change and we were mingling at the after party. Levi was [wearing](http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/5a/94/b5/5a94b5e18b21024b8fc7fc1777b2312d.jpg) a beautiful designer suit with floral designs and his hair was combed and styled so his hair was out of his face. You could see every sharp angle of his face now and it was clear Levi was getting plenty of attention because of it. 

Even I caught myself looking or staring at him more than I should have. It was starting to worry me. Sure, my boss was attractive I couldn't deny that, never have. But it was the fact that lately I'd come to notice all of this in ways that were probably considered a little less than professional. Standing next to Levi here at the After party, I forced myself to push any thoughts of how handsome or attractive I thought my boss looked out of my mind and instead focused on the fact that I needed to be Levi's support pillar tonight. This was his first time going out to a social event with alcohol and I didn't want him relapsing and going overboard with the champagne or anything else for that matter. 

For now, Levi was chatting with some models while he held a nearly full glass of Champagne in his hand. I knew he'd probably tell me that he didn't need to be watched over or babysat but I couldn't help but be worried for him. So, I stuck close to his side through out most of the party. Smiling politely and shaking hands with people whenever he introduced me to them which I thought was odd, you weren't normally supposed to introduce your assistants to people at parties like these, right? Well, either way, Levi didn't really seem to care and I found him chatting with me more than with anyone else at the party but I was perfectly okay with that. I liked talking with Levi, he had an interesting sense of humor and his opinions of certain people were amusing to listen to. 

"Oi, Eren." Levi's smooth voice called as he set the half-empty glass of champagne that he'd been carrying around for most of the evening down. 

"Hm?" I hummed in response to let him know I was listening. 

"Let's get out of here." 

I blinked in confusion at him before I sort of smiled. Levi had a certain look of amusement and mischief in his eyes and it made me curious as to why he wanted to leave the party so suddenly. 

"and just what for, exactly?" 

He shrugged casually, "I just figured a movie night back at the hotel would be more interesting than standing around here and putting on a fake smile for all these annoying people. I'll even let you pick the movies for tonight."

I hesitated to answer for a moment as I just stared down at Levi. It shouldn't be happening, it simply shouldn't, but my heart was beating just a little too quickly for my liking. It should not have made me this happy that Levi wanted to leave a high-end party like this just to go back to a hotel suite and watch movies with me. It shouldn't have made my cheeks feel like they were on fire when his eyes met mine, piercing silver and pale blue meeting gold and blue-green.

"Okay. I'll get the car ready." Was all I was able to say as I turned to leave. No, my heart definitely shouldn't be beating so fast just because of a little thing like this.

\- ◆ -

When we got back to the hotel, Levi insisted we have movie night in his suite and I couldn't really argue since our suites were nearly exactly the same so it's not like it really mattered. I went back to my suite to change out of my dress clothes, returning to Levi's suite wearing a more comfortable v-neck sweater and sweatpants. Levi had changed out of his nice designer suit, naturally, and I was doing my best not to pay too much attention to the fact that he was wearing a rather tight black v-neck t-shirt and dark grey pajama bottoms.

"So, what did you decide on for tonight?" Levi asked as he let me into his suite. 

"I don't think we've had an Elizabeth Taylor movie marathon yet."

Levi sauntered into the small kitchen area and started making himself a cup of tea while I went over to the small sofa situated in front of a large flat screen. It wouldn't be as comfortable as when we had movie night in Levi's apartment but it would have to do. Levi returned a few minutes later with a steaming cup in his hand as he claimed a corner of the sofa for himself, curling his legs underneath him in a rather child-like manner and I held in a snicker at the sight. It was nothing new for me by now but it was still hilarious to see Levi go from the high-status Editor-in-Chief with his head held high at a social event to the completely normal and completely human Levi who sits with his legs curled up underneath him like a cat on a small sofa wearing such casual clothes. He could almost fool me or anyone into thinking he was a completely normal guy. 

"Which Liz Taylor movie are we watching first?" he asked around the rim of his teacup as he took a careful sip. 

"I figured we could start with one of my personal favorites. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." 

Levi hummed a noncommittal noise and then I was buffering the movie on Netflix. I figured the sofa would probably be more comfortable to sit on rather than the floor, so I claimed the other end of the sofa and brought one of my knees up to my chest. Through out the first movie, Levi and I kept making comments about how much we both hated the older brother and sister-in-law and of course, Levi had to comment on the outfits which wasn't anything new. I'd gotten used to that during our movie nights by now. 

"Go ahead and start the next movie, I'm going to call Kirstein and check up on Ravioli." Levi said as he set his teacup down and stood up from the sofa to make his phone call. 

I said nothing and did as he said, starting up the next movie which was Cleopatra. I was 20 minutes into the scene where Caesar arrives in Egypt and talks to Pharaoh Ptolemy when Levi finally returned. I paused the movie momentarily as Levi plopped back down on his end of the sofa, although he wasn't as far away as he was before, sitting more toward the center of the sofa now but I ignored that little detail and lifted my brows at him in question. 

"Kirstein is convinced that my cat is out to get him. She shredded another one of his sweaters and took a shit in his $600 Versace boots." Levi didn't seem bothered by that information in the least if the sly smirk on his face was anything to go by. I couldn't help but laugh a little at Jean's expense because it really did seem that Levi's angry cat hated him for some reason. Well, it wasn't that hard to hate Jean to begin with so I guess it wasn't all that weird. 

"Hmm. Sucks to be him. Ready to start the movie?"

Levi picked his teacup up and nodded as he curled back up on the sofa and I buffered the movie, picking up where I left off with Caesar and Pharaoh Ptolemy. Unfortunately for me, I had forgotten how long the movie Cleopatra was and halfway through the movie I could barely keep my eyes open and it didn't surprise me to see that Levi had dozed off already. It was expected considering we didn't get much sleep on the plane over here and from the moment we stepped off the plane and arrived at the hotel, we had been running around to different meetings and running errands. 

Levi ended up leaning more and more towards me until eventually his head was on my shoulder and I froze in my seat. So, this could be bad. Very, very bad. And my heart definitely shouldn't be going into a frenzy now that Levi was so close that I could feel the slight warmth from his body leaning against mine. He was so close, all of my senses were filled with Levi. The smell of his aftershave still lingered on his skin and it was strong but not overwhelming, spicy and familiar. 

I was barely keeping my eyes open anymore as my eyelids drooped heavily, I tilted my head so that it rested slightly on top of Levi's. Now, mixed with the smell of his aftershave, I could smell whatever shampoo Levi used and I couldn't help but inhale deeply as my eyes finally closed. The sound of Elizabeth Taylor going on about her son Caesarion being Caesar's heir to the Roman empire faded into background noise as I listened to the soft sound of Levi breathing. 

Before I lost consciousness, I could have swore I felt Levi cuddle closer to me and mumble something under his breath but I was too tired to try and figure out what. My first day in Paris, France had been a busy one and I hoped that sometime before we left, I'd be able to actually see the city for all it's beauty and discover why it was the place where everyone wanted to come to fall in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took way too long to write. I had to prepare a lot of stuff for it and this is only the first half of the Paris trip I have planned for these dorks. Next Paris chapter will be from Levi's POV and hopefully there will be more Hanji since I seemed to have forgotten she was supposed to be in this chapter. Oops.


	22. Je vois la vie en rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _"Le prix d'Amour, c'est seulement Amour, ... Il faut aimer si l'on veut être aimé."_ — **Honoré d' Urfé**  
>  _"The price of love is only love, ... one must love if one desires to be loved."_ — **Honoré d' Urfé**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry (late) Christmas and Happy New Year to all my lovelies~ Here's my late gift to you all!
> 
> (excuse any typos or errors, I finished this in a rush and will correct any mistakes later!)

Our week in Paris was quickly coming to an end and I was actually surprised to say that for once I was enjoying my time there instead of dreading it because of work related reasons. It was rare that I got to come to Paris for pleasure and I could honestly say that the past week spent here with Eren was definitely enjoyable despite the fact that we were both working. 

"I can't believe this is our last night in Paris." Eren sighed. He was sprawled out on the small couch in my suite.

"What? A whole seven days in Paris wasn't enough for you?" 

Eren sat up from his spot on the couch and pouted at me. The little shit was being adorable again. 

"Of course it wasn't! I didn't even get to explore the streets of Paris for myself, or go on a tour, or visit any museums!" he whined. 

"You got to see plenty of Paris while we were working, isn't that enough?" 

Eren snorted with a roll of his eyes, "Yeah, right. How exciting it was to see the Eiffel Tower from the backseat of a town car while my boss complained about not wanting to walk to the nearest cafe because it was too cold outside." 

"Tch, you know cold weather and I don't mix." 

"Yeah and apparently you don't mix well with fun either." 

This time it was my turn to roll my eyes as I pushed off the wall and sauntered away from Eren back into the small kitchen area. So, maybe I was feeling a tiny bit guilty for holding Eren back from going sightseeing while he was visiting Paris for the first time in his life but it's not like I could help it. I had been to Paris so many times that I was jaded by all of the sights and pretty lights and all the other cliches Paris brought with it. Still, I couldn't deny Eren the right of being excited and wanting to see all of those things when it was his first time here. 

"Good Evening, my little lovebirds!" Hanji's shriek rang loudly through my suite and I cringed at the sound. 

"How the fuck do you do that?" I asked, rubbing desperately at my temples. 

"Do what?" Hanji asked, feigning innocence. 

"How the fuck do you-- you know what? Forget it. I don't want to know." 

Hanji cackled in that way that was far too obnoxious for my liking. Honestly, how I've managed not to murder her all these years, I'll never know. It was by far a miracle at best. 

"So, what are you two doing just cooped up in this room? It's our last night in Paris! We should be out and about, drinking, Mingling, celebrating!" Hanji sang. 

"Or we could stay in our hotel rooms and oh, I don't know... _not_ freeze our asses off." 

Eren chuckled, "See, even Hanji thinks we should be out on the streets of Paris enjoying our last night here. Quit being a grump, Levi. Live a little." 

I stared at the both of them. Hanji with an over-exaggerated pouting face and Eren with his huge, teal and gold puppy eyes and I was done for. Had it just been Hanji doing the begging, I definitely would have said no and left it at that. But because I had to be a sucker for a certain bright eyed brat, I found myself sighing heavily as I contemplated a night out on the streets of Paris with Eren. (and Hanji)

"Levi, please?" Hanji begged and soon Eren was joining in the begging. 

"Fine, whatever but be ready in 10 minutes. Otherwise I'll change my mind."

Eren shot up from his spot on the couch with an excited noise similar to a cheer and then he was bolting out of my suite to get back to his and change, I assumed. Hanji gave me a knowing smile once we were alone and I simply rolled my eyes at the smug look on her annoyingly dumb face. 

"Don't say it." I grumbled as I shoved past her to get to my own bedroom and change. 

"I didn't say anything, ma manchot." she said in a cheerful sing-song tone of voice and it had me flipping her off as I retreated from her.

\- ◆ -

And that was how I ended up walking down the Avenue Montaigne. Hanji and Eren seemed less than thrilled with the fact that I brought them to one of the most expensive shopping districts and they weren't shy about letting me know it.

"Levi, when I said I wanted to walk the streets of Paris and go sight seeing, I didn't mean sightseeing at your nearest Gucci store." Eren huffed as he shoved his hands into the pockets of the fitted [blazer](http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/91/de/ae/91deae5780c310abafceb9f3b38b9d30.jpg) he was wearing.

"Then where do you suggest we go, Genius?"

"Oh, oh!" Hanji started bouncing on the balls of her feet as she raised her hand into the air. "I know where we could go where Levi can do his shopping and Eren can get his Paris sight-seeing fix!" 

"Do not suggest Rue de Rennese, the sidewalks are way too crowded for my liking. Reminds me too much of Manhattan." I stressed to Hanji who was most likely ignoring me. 

"Come on, Eren! Let's ditch grumpy-pants and leave him to his designer shops!" Hanji had a crazed look in her big, brown eyes and I shot her a dirty look. 

Hanji ignored my glare and immeditely started skipping off in another direction, "Tch, shitty-glasses. See if I care." 

I crossed my arms over my chest, shivering despite the [trench](http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/07/26/24/0726244abbcb75626b7eaa6905b6a4a3.jpg) coat and gloves I was currently wearing. I was never one for sight-seeing or exploring Paris whenever I came. I'd been here so many times over the years that I practically knew the various streets and landmarks by heart so I didn't feel the need to see any of it. Frowning, I absently watched as a young couple walked arm in arm down the clean sidewalks of the Avenue but a soft clearing of a throat brought my attention back to the beautiful brunet who was still standing next to me with a soft smile on his face as he stared down at me. 

"Come on, Levi." Eren motioned to his right with a soft jerk of his head. "I think she's serious about leaving us behind." 

Ah, so he was waiting for me. I felt my heart start to flutter in my chest and it wasn't the first or the last time it would, I knew that for a fact. He could have just followed after that crazy Hanji but instead he stayed behind with me and waited. I still wasn't excited about going sight-seeing but if it meant spending time with Eren and seeing him light up like a fucking christmas tree over any little thing, then I was all for it. 

With a resigned sigh, I uncrossed my arms from my chest and opted for shoving them into the deep pockets of my trench coat as I took a few steps forward walking ahead of Eren. When I didn't hear a second set of footsteps behind me, I stopped and turned to look back at my assistant who was staring after me with a raised brow and a slight smug grin on his face. 

"Tch, Hurry up before I change my mind, Brat." 

Eren only shakes his head and laughs lightly as he takes long, quick strides to catch up with me. We walked side by side down the slightly wet sidewalks of Avenue Montaigne. The bright lights of Paris were everywhere, even in the trees. In the distance, we could see the Eiffel Tower lit up in all it's glory but my focus was solely on Eren as we walked side by side at a steady pace. Our elbows occasionally brushing and when they would, Eren would flash me a small smile that did all kinds of things to my heart. 

It wasn't long before we caught with a hyper-active Hanji who congratulation Eren on getting me to come along on the 'Tour' as Hanji called it. I was all for walking the cold, wet streets of Paris with Eren but Hanji was making me wanna rethink everything. I knew I couldn't back out now though, and I didn't want to miss out on spending time with Eren outside of work just because of the annoying third-wheel known as Hurricane Hanji but I certainly didn't need her teasing and basically annoying the fuck out of me in front of the object of all my affections. The last thing anyone needed was me ending up in Prison in France for murder. 

Hanji ended up taking us to a smaller, more narrow street known as Rue de Passy. It was full of boutiques of all kinds but it was just a little too crowded for me. I had a thing about personal space and right now, my personal space was being invaded by a tall man with beefy shoulders who was just standing in front of a nearby brasserie. I stood there for a few moments behind this man as he blocked my path, tapping the toe of my boot impatiently against the wet ground. The man was taking his sweet time, staring at the display that was in the brasserie's front window showing their various dishes. When the beefy man made no signs of moving, I let out an exasperated sigh. 

_"Tch, Allez!"_ I grumbled loudly, catching the larger man's attention. 

He turned to face me with a raised brow and a frown, _"Puis-je vous aider?"_

I opened my mouth to start cursing at the man in french but didn't get a chance to get a single word out when I felt a large, warm hand slip into mine and despite the fact that I was wearing leather gloves, I could still feel their warmth. I looked to my side to see Eren giving me a slightly knowing look as he shook his head and rolled his eyes, then he turned to the beefy man and flashed a polite smile. Tch. 

_"Je suis désolé, Monsieur."_ Eren apologized. 

The man's attitude immediately did a 180 degree turn after Eren apologized, his frown turning upward into a large grin that crinkled his brown eyes. 

_"Ah, Ça n'est pas grave!"_ he waved one of his meaty hands in the air dismissively and then he tipped the hat he was wearing before wishing us a good evening in french. 

When the man was gone, I cocked a brow and looked over at Eren who seemed to be fidgeting in his spot. His mismatched eyes not wanting to meet mine as he shifted from foot to foot. Remembering that our hands were still linked, I gripped his hand a little tighter earning me his attention finally. 

"So, when did you start speaking French, Jaeger?" I asked with a hint of a smirk playing on my lips. 

Eren's face flushed a beautiful scarlet and he immediately dropped his gaze to the ground, seeming to find a puddle more interesting all of a sudden. With one hand, he tightened that black scarf he had wrapped around his neck and buried his nose in it as he answered,

"I-I might have practiced a few common french phrases before we came here." he mumbled into his scarf. 

This time, I did let myself smirk as I leaned in to whisper something in French in his ear. Pulling back and seeing Eren's slightly blushing face only caused that smirk to grow into a teasing grin as Eren stuttered to get his words out. 

"W-What did you say?" he asked with a pout looking similar to a petulant child. His cheeks were still a beautiful crimson and knowing that I was the cause of that blush filled me with satisfaction. 

I shrugged nonchalantly and started turning to walk away from him as I mumbled, "Who knows?" 

From behind me I could hear Eren give a disgruntled sigh and moments later he caught up to pace with me and we were walking side by side once more. He flashed me a small smirk before he shook his head allowing some of his hair to fall out of place and back into his face. Without thinking, I reached up and brushed some strands out of his beautiful eyes and I could hear Eren give a small sound of surprise at my actions. I didn't know why I was suddenly being so bold with all these actions. Whispering suggestive things to him in French and then teasing him about it, now I was brushing hair out of his face, acting as if we were more than what we were. 

I slowly retracted my hand, silently thanking whatever gods were out there for my naturally stoic face because I could act like what I just did was no big deal even though internally my heart was an absolute mess and it was all Eren's fault. He really had no idea what just being near him did to me and the cynical part of me told me he probably never would but there was that tiny little sliver of hope that liked to nag at me in the back of my head, telling me that Eren and I have been making progress albeit slow progress. Still, I would take slow progress over nothing at all. 

"Ah!" Eren's voice broke me out of my own thoughts as he suddenly stopped walking and turned toward a boutique store window. "Isn't that a Cravat?" 

I raised a curious brow at him as I approached him by the store window, my grey and blue eyes following his line of sight and seeing the tiny white Cravat wrapped around a fake cat mannequin. 

Eren nudged me softly with his elbow, "Hey, what if you bought one for Ravioli? Then she could match with her daddy." he cooed. 

I said nothing as I turned to my right and entered the store. I could hear Eren's confusion as he called my name and then he eventually followed me into the small pet boutique. There was a young woman with long dark brown hair and glasses standing behind the counter with a glass display and I briskly approached the counter. I caught her attention by tapping one of my gloved fingers on the counter top and big brown eyes shot up to meet mine. The woman seemed startled by my appearance but then she quickly started fumbling over her words,

_"O-Oui, Monsieur?"_ her soft voice squeaked. 

I pointed to the Cat mannequin in the display window with the Cravat, _"Combien coûte-t-il?"_

As I talked with the woman at the counter, Eren came up and stood beside me simply listening to our conversation he probably couldn't understand a word of. I noticed him looking at his surroundings and occasionally staring at me but quickly looking away whenever I caught his gaze. It was an amusing game of cat and mouse we played as I bought what I wanted for Ravioli. When I was finished making my purchase, Eren spoke up curiously as we browsed the rest of the pet shop. I was determined to buy Ravioli lots of gifts from Paris if nothing else. 

"Um, how many of those Cravat things did you buy?" he asked slowly. 

"I bought three." 

"And how much did they cost?"

"About sixty U.S. dollars each. Why?" 

Eren gaped at me as he did the math and added it up in his head, "You spent one-hundred and eighty dollars on your cat just for a few Cravats?!" 

"What's your point? I've spent thousands on her customized collars. One-hundred and eighty dollars for a few Cravats is nothing." 

"Why not just buy her a damn Beret while you're at it? It'll complete the French look." Eren grumbled sarcastically. 

"Do they sell those for cats?" I thought out loud. I was about to go and ask the woman at the counter if they did sell Beret's for cats but Eren intercepted me. 

"No. No, no, no. You're not buying anything else in this store. We're leaving, come on. Hanji is probably wondering where we went anyway." 

Before I could protest, Eren slipped his hand back into mine and started tugging me along with him out of the boutique. Feeling that warmth of our hands linked together so tightly again, any protests I had died on my lips as I simply gave in and let Eren whisk me away back into the slightly crowded street. I didn't care where Eren took me, as long as he kept holding my hand. Once out of the boutique, Eren started looking for any signs of Hanji anywhere but found none. I, on the other hand, was perfectly content with not reminding him that he was still gripping my hand as we stood in front of the Passy Plaza. 

"Do you think maybe she left without us?" he asked me as his brilliant eyes continued to search the crowds.

Trying to ignore the way my heart was thundering in my chest, I tried to keep my voice as even as possible as I answered. 

"Who cares?" I sure as hell didn't care if Hanji ditched us. It meant more alone time with Eren.

As if on cue, my phone went off in the pocket of my trench coat. Not wanting to break our linked hands, I awkwardly reached into right front pocket with my left hand fished my cell phone out. Eren watched me curiously as I thumbed through my new messages, ignoring the various missed calls from my previous lovers and fuck buddies in favor of looking through the new text message from Hanji, speak of the devil. 

"Hanji just sent me a text." I informed Eren. 

"Well, what did she say? Did she leave us behind?" he said through a shiver. 

I opened the message and read it quickly, nearly having to hold myself back from throwing my phone on the ground after reading Hanji's text.

>   
> **Four-Eyes:** Figured you could use some alone time with your beloved :p See you on the plane in the morning! Don't stay out too late!  
> 

"Fucking Hanji." I grumbled under my breath as I pocketed my phone. It was so like her to pull some dumb shit like this. 

"Well?" Eren asked with expectant eyes. 

"Tch, she ditched us." 

"Oh." 

"Yeah, 'Oh'. It's so typical of her to just run off on her own as usual. Come on, brat." 

I tugged Eren along with me as I started toward the Main street. It was better for us to keep our bodies warm by walking instead of just standing around in the cold freezing our asses off. I guess I couldn't be entirely mad at Hanji. I had basically lost the third wheel and without even needing to make an excuse or tell her shit. I guess that was one of the good things about having a friend like Hanji who knew me so well after all these years. Even though I'd never admit it out loud, she was one of the only people who actually understood me. 

"What should we do now? Do you want to go back to the hotel?" I heard Eren ask as he finally caught up to me. 

He didn't say anything about the fact that I was still holding his hand, in fact he held mine right back and showed no signs of wanting to pull it away or let go so I took that as a good thing and gripped it a little tighter as I continued to walk slightly ahead of him. The cold, winter air bit at the skin on my face but the only thing I could focus on was the warmth of the hand in mine. I wished I hadn't worn gloves so I could feel Eren's skin on mine but it was too late for that now. The important thing was, he wasn't letting go of my hand. Not yet. After a brief silence, I decided to answer Eren's question. 

"You said you wanted to sight-see. So, I'm taking you sightseeing." 

I didn't actually want to take Eren sightseeing to all the typical Paris attractions like the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame, but I did want to take him to a very special place that I just knew he'd never forget. I led Eren into a bit of a jog as we rushed through the crowds of tourists and locals alike. The bright lights of Paris passing us by and the many sights and smells were intoxicating, even for someone like me who'd been to Paris more times than I could count. There was just something magical about the city at night and even I could appreciate that. 

"Where are we going?" Eren laughed as he tried to keep up with my pace. 

"[Île Saint-Louis.](http://paris.photobynight.com/photos/20091031132948_ile_saint_louis_women_are_heroes_cite_notre-dame.jpg)" 

As cliche as it may have sounded, I felt like Eren and I were in a cheesy romance movie set in Paris. We were practically running through the streets of Paris at night while holding hands, I could hear Eren's breathy laughter as he struggled to keep up with me and I couldn't help but crack a small smile at the entire situation. I could see the bridge that connected to Île Saint-Louis and the river bank just ahead of us and I slowed us down to a light jog. We were both breathing heavily, trying to catch our breaths but every inhale felt like swallowing needles of ice. 

Without letting go of Eren's hand, I walked Eren out to the center of the Pont Louis-Philippe bridge. It wasn't overly crowded with too many locals or tourists and I could hear the sound of music being played somewhere nearby. Eren tiredly leaned against the stone edge as his wide eyes took in all the sights around him. The lights illuminating the bridge and the streetlamps reflected in the water and despite it being nighttime, Eren's eyes seemed to shine even brighter under the florescent lighting of Paris. 

"This is gorgeous." Eren whispered. I only hummed in response as I was much too distracted with the beautiful creature standing next to me. "Do you hear music... and singing?" 

Eren turned to look at me and he had a lopsided grin on his face. His hair that had been pushed back and out of his face earlier was back to it's usual messy state as it hung over his eyes. Eyes that seemed to be sparkling like gemstones in the moonlight as he stared at me expectantly. 

"Probably. It's not like it's uncommon on the streets of Paris, after all. Just like New York, they have their street performers and other forms of entertainment practically around every corner." I explained to him before looking away in favor of staring down at my distorted reflection in the water below us. 

"Listen." Eren nudged me in the shoulder with a big grin. "I feel like I've heard this song before." 

I strained my ears to try and catch the tune and it wasn't hard to recognize the song once I did hear it a little more clearly. [(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elc0oThyV3Q)

"It's La Vie En Rose. A love song. You'll hear it just about anywhere here but unlike the version you might have heard, this is the original version by Edith Piaf."

Eren fell silent as he tried to listen to the soft, haunting voice of a woman who was singing La Vie En Rose somewhere nearby. His brows knitted together in frustration and I watched in amusement as Eren turned to me with a pout and pleading eyes. 

"It's sounds so beautiful but I don't understand anything she's singing." he whined. "Translate it for me!" 

I gave him an incredulous look, "Are you kidding me?" 

"Levi, _please_! You told me yourself that you're fluent in french! Just translate a few verses for me." 

At this point, I was completely weak to Eren whenever he put on those big puppy eyes and practically begged for something. I was completely and utterly defenseless against that pleading look and it was really starting to worry me how easily manipulated I was by Eren and the kid probably didn't even know it. Or maybe he did. I drew out a long sigh before I relented and gave in. 

"Alright, listen to what she's singing carefully, Brat." I instructed and Eren did as he was told, closing his eyes and listening intently to the words of the song.

  
_♪ Des yeux qui font baisser les miens_  
 _Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche_  
 _Voilà le portrait sans retouche_  
 _De l’homme auquel j’appartiens ♪_

_♪ Quand il me prend dans ses bras_  
 _Il me parle tout bas_  
 _Je vois la vie en rose ♪_  


Eren finally looked at me expectantly with eager eyes and I felt my heart doing back flips in my chest as I cleared my throat and started translating the words as best as I could to him without looking too flustered. It wasn't everyday you got to translate a french love song to the person you loved as if it were nothing.

"Eyes that swallow mine,"  
A smile that is lost on his lips—  
Here is the unaltered picture  
Of the man to whom I belong 

"When he takes me in his arms  
He speaks to me in a low voice,  
I see life as if it were rose-tinted."

I noticed the way Eren tightened the scarf around his neck, burying his nose and mouth into it as if to hide his flushing face but I could still see the faintest of pink dusting across his face as I translated for first few verses for him.

  
_♪ Il me dit des mots d’amour_  
 _Des mots de tous les jours_  
 _Et ça me fait quelque chose ♪_

_♪ Il est entré dans mon coeur_  
 _Une part de bonheur_  
 _Dont je connais la cause ♪_  


I caught Eren's gaze as he tried to steal a subtle glance at me but I was had already been staring at him as he continued to listen to La Vie En Rose. I didn't waver as I held his gaze and went on to translate the next few verses just like he'd asked me to.

"He whispers words to declare his love for me"  
Words of the everyday  
And that does something to me. 

"He has entered into my heart  
A piece of happiness  
the cause of which I know full well."

I intentionally lowered my voice a few octaves so that it was just loud enough for the both of us to hear. Low, intimate, for Eren's ears only and speaking of Eren's ears, I could see them turning red as he blushed a beautiful crimson once more. It had long been forgotten the fact that our hands were still linked together, fingers laced together.

  
_♪ C’est lui pour moi, moi pour lui dans la vie_  
 _Il me l’a dit, l’a juré pour la vie ♪_

_♪ Et dès que je l’aperçois_  
 _Alors je sens en moi_  
 _Mon coeur qui bat ♪_  


Teal and Gold colored eyes mixed with Silver and Blue as Eren finally stopped shying away from me. I gripped his hand a little tighter in mine, his stare dropped to my lips as I translate the last of the song.

"It's him for me, me for him for life  
He said that to me, swore to me "forever"."

"And as soon as I see him  
So I feel in me  
My heart which beats."

Eren let out a shaky breath and it could be seen leaving his plump lips in a cloud of smoke before it evaporated. The corners of his lips twitched upward until he was eventually smiling and his gaze finally dropped from my face, the tips of his ears were still burning and the tip of his nose was rosy as well.

"That was beautiful, Levi." he murmured into the fabric of his scarf softly. So softly I almost didn't catch the way my name was caressed on his tongue. 

I would probably never get over the way he looked in that moment. Shy but lovely at the same time. He kept his gaze lowered on the water below us but that tiny smile stayed on his lips, as did the faint blush dusting across his cheeks. I wanted nothing more than to reach over and tilt his head up so that I could stare into those beautiful eyes that reminded me of bright, burning stars in the night sky. One the color of a warm honey, the other the color of a vast ocean. So contradicting and yet I couldn't imagine a more beautiful pair of eyes anywhere else in the world. 

But I refrained from doing what my body screamed at me to do. What I wanted to do since first realizing these feelings for Eren, which was to just grab the idiot and kiss his stupidly beautiful face but that would definitely be pushing things and asking for another slap across the face. I definitely didn't want another one of those anytime soon or ever again for that matter. The spell was broken when a particularly cold gust of wind blew past us and Eren shivered violently against it. It was disappointing that I was too chicken-shit to make a move on Eren but I figured this was enough, for now. This was more than enough. 

"Come on, Kid. Let's head back to the hotel before we catch our deaths out here." 

Reluctantly, I was the one who let go of Eren's hand first before shoving it into the deepest pocket of my trench coat, hoping to preserve the warmth Eren's hand left there for as long as possible. I silently turned on the heel of my boot and started back in the direction we came from, knowing that Eren would follow me without me needing to tell him to. I heard his footsteps trailing after me slowly, he hung back a few paces as I led the way back to the street where our hotel was located and it wasn't long before we were standing in the lobby waiting to catch the next elevator up to our floor. 

It was a silent and slightly awkward trip back but I wasn't about to break the thick silence that blanketed us as we walked side by side toward our suites. When we reached our doors, Eren was the one who finally spoke and broke the silence. 

"Thanks for this evening, Levi. I know you didn't really want to go out sightseeing but I appreciate it anyway." 

I glanced at Eren through the corners of my eyes as I pulled out my room key and slid it through the slot in the door unlocking it. As I pushed my door open, Eren did the same but we both stayed standing where we were. 

Eventually I sighed softly through my nose, "You're welcome, Eren. If I'm being honest, I didn't entirely hate this evening either." 

Eren chuckled softly before he was pushing the door to his suite open, "Goodnight, Levi." 

"Goodnight, Eren." I stood there a few seconds longer as I watched him disappear behind his door and then I was finally stepping into the warmth of my own Suite. 

I was welcomed by darkness and silence but it didn't last long at all. Like a scene out of a movie, Hanji turned on one of the lamps in the room revealing her sitting form on the white suede couch. I groaned loudly as I shrugged off my coat and pulled off my gloves, kicking off my boots in the process as well. 

"Of course you're here." I grumbled as I passed Hanji by in favor of heading to the mini-bar to get myself a drink. If Eren were around, he'd probably jump on my shit for drinking but I only needed a little something for the oncoming headache I was sure Hanji would give me with her endless questioning. 

"Where's Eren?" she asked innocently. 

"He's in his room. Where else would he be?" 

"You mean... you _didn't_ try and get in his pants while you two were alone?!" 

"Tch, your confidence in me is so encouraging. _Of course_ , I didn't try and seduce Eren you shit-fuck. Did you honestly wait up for me in my room like some creepy stalker thinking that I was going to bring Eren back here to fuck him?" 

"Yes." was her simple and direct answer and it had me balking in surprise. 

I set the glass of scotch I poured myself back down on the mini-bar top while my other hand rubbed at my temples. Sometimes dealing with Hanji could be a real pain and this was one of those moments where I had to just stop and ask myself why I was still friends with her in the first place. 

"Hanji," I sighed. "Don't make me do this." 

"Do what? I'm not making you do anything, my little dumpling." she laughed. 

"Just, stop. I know what you're trying to make me do and it's not going to work. Now, get out of my room." 

"Alright, alright. I'm going. I have seen with my own eyes that you didn't bring your cutie assistant back for a night of really hot sex so that tells me all I need to know." she chirped as she stood up from her spot on the couch and started for my door. 

"and that something is what?" I asked, despite myself. 

As she opened the door to step out, she craned her head to the side and grinned widely at me. A particularly mischievous look in her large, brown eyes as she giggled like a school girl with a secret. 

"That you're completely over the moon for Eren Jaeger and you've got it bad, short-stuff. Just in time too since Valentines Day is in two weeks." 

Hanji left me to my own devices as she finally left my room and the silence rang through my ears. I stood by the mini-bar, but I no longer had any desire to drink now that Hanji had basically dropped a bomb on me before she left. Valentines Day was in two weeks. I quickly whipped out my cell-phone and dialed Hanji's number, knowing that the dumbass was probably just waiting for me to call her. I was proven correct when she answered on the first ring. 

_"Yes, my lovesick penguin?"_

"I need you to do something for me."

_" I'm all ears." _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty sure that isn't an entirely accurate translation of La Vie En Rose since I found eleven different versions but I liked this particular translation a lot more than the others, so... yeah. 
> 
> And that's the end of the Paris arc! Next chapter we're back in the ever busy New York City!


	23. My Silent Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“I always feel that if you’re gonna be uncomfortable and unhappy in something, just because you think it’s in or it’s chic, I would advise you to be happy rather than well-dressed. It’s better to be happy.”_ — **Iris Apfel**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand we're back in New York and back to Eren's pov!  
> This entire chapter is dedicated to my beloved doll face [Paula](http://archiveofourown.org/users/paulinkaaxx)!! Without her this chapter wouldn't have been possible at all, so this one is for you~! ♥

I was so screwed. It had been nearly a week since I returned to New York from Paris, France and my mind was simply a mess. I couldn't focus on anything at all, work included. I was distracted and might have made a few mistakes with Levi's appointments and it was so unlike me. It was coming up on the second week back from Paris and nearly every store display in the city was decorated in pink and red hearts and having sales on their chocolates and candies. I couldn't walk down any street in New York and not see something Valentines day related or see couples walking arm in arm and it certainly wasn't helping my current state of mind at all. 

Since coming back from my trip in Paris, I've been all too hyper-aware of Levi's presence and it was starting to worry me. I definitely shouldn't have been so happy or excited to see him in the mornings when he came into the office, and my heart definitely shouldn't be pounding in my chest whenever he so much as calls my name when he needs something. It was ridiculous how one little week-long trip in Paris suddenly had my entire view on Levi changing. 

"Eren, I'm going out to a lunch meeting with Hanji, Erwin and Mike. Cancel anything I have open for 1pm and reserve a table for us at Café Rose." Levi said as he threw on his black, double breasted coat over the royal blue Armani dress shirt he was wearing today. 

"Right. Anything else you want me to do while you're out?" 

"No, that'll do. I'll be back hopefully before I murder someone. If I don't come back, then meet me at the police station with bail money." Levi sarcastically joked.

"Aye, aye Cap'n." I sent him a mock salute as he passed by my desk. 

Levi smirked at my cheeky response to his joke, my heart skipping a beat as he paused to roll his mismatched eyes at me. "Don't be a shit, Jaeger."

I opened my mouth to give another sassy reply but was cut off by Armin's voice calling out to me and Levi starting for the elevators again. My eyes lingered on the short figure retreating toward the elevators before I tore them away to look up and see Armin's bright blue eyes staring at me critically as he stood in front of my desk. I could tell he was judging me so hard right now.

"Don't say anything." I interrupted Armin as he opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off just in time. 

"What? I wasn't going to sa-"

"Shut up."

"Wha-"

"Shut up." 

"Eren, I wasn-"

"I said shut up!" 

"Eren." Armin chuckled as I stood up from my desk. "I haven't even said anything."

"No, but I know you want to say something and I'm not having any of it today." I snatched my phone and wallet from my desk and powered down my desktop computer before putting my phone on stand-by for Jean to handle my calls while I went out to lunch with Armin. 

"I was just going to remind you about our lunch date for this afternoon. You've been a little scatterbrained lately. Any particular reason why?" he drawled, a teasing lilt in his tone.

I groaned loudly as he walked toward the elevators, earning me some odd looks from some of my other co-workers on the floor but I paid them no mind. I just _knew_ Armin was going to try and make my recent behavior out to be some kind of big deal when it wasn't. 

"Oh my god, Armin. _Shut up_. I know I've been a little forgetful lately but you're reading too much into this." 

Thankfully, Armin decided to leave things as they were when we got into the elevator with some guys from the sports magazine a floor above us. Armin had a smug smile on his face the entire elevator ride down to the cafeteria and I came so close to punching him a few times. This must have be how Levi feels 95% of the time.

Armin's silence couldn't last, however. As soon as we grabbed a couple of seats at our usual table, I could see that familiar mischievous glint in his deep blue eyes. Contrary to popular belief, Armin was obsessed with gossip and probably knows everything that goes on inside the Survey Corps building. That was probably because of the friendly act he puts up with all the other secretaries in the office. He makes you feel like you can trust him and then he gets you to spill all your dirt to him. I've said it once but I'll say it again, Armin Arlert is an evil supreme overlord of the universe and we'll all perish under his mighty brain power. 

"I know what you're thinking, Eren. I can practically see it written all over your face. I'm not evil, you're the only who thinks that." Armin rolled his eyes as he bit into his turkey sandwich.

"You say that, but just now you were able to read my mind with your superior brain powers and you knew I was calling you the evil supreme overlord of the universe again." 

"Well, I'm flattered you think I'm the supreme overlord of anything let alone the entire universe." Armin swallowed and then showed me a smug grin while wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"Evil." I muttered through a bite of my pizza. 

"Evil supreme overlords aside, let's talk about _you_ and the King of Mean in Paris. Spill everything and if you leave any little detail out, I'll use my superior brain powers to rape your mind and find out everything you don't tell me." 

I swallowed dryly at the devious expression Armin was currently showing me. How could anyone think this baby-faced little shit was innocent and nice? Armin was fixing me with an expectant look and damn, did I hate it that he had those big ass innocent looking eyes when in reality he was the furthest thing from innocent. 

"There's nothing to tell, Ar. We went to Paris, we attended Fashion Week, we worked our asses off and then we came back... except..." I trailed off as I got lost in my own thoughts. 

I could feel my cheeks heating up at the memory of Levi's hand gripping mine, our fingers laced together and warmth filling my palm. The bite of cold winter air stinging my cheeks as we raced through the streets of Paris, the bright lights passing us by in a glittery blur and the sound of music filling the night air. It all feels like a dream when I think back to it, that last night in Paris almost seems impossible to anyone who knows Levi at all. He looked so young and carefree as he gripped my hand tightly in his and led me through the crowds to that bridge, but I'll probably never forget the way that subtle hint of a smile he had on his lips looked as we ran. 

"Except?" the sound of Armin's voice snapped me out of my reverie. He was looking at me with a strangely soft and curious look in his eyes, a small smile tugging at his lips. 

"...Except. Something weird happened our last night there. It wasn't anything bad but I think that's why I've been so... off since I got back." I shifted my gaze down toward my half-eaten pizza that was starting to get cold, no longer having any appetite to eat it. 

"Well, don't just sit there staring at your lunch, Eren. I need details." Armin started nudging me softly in my side and I rolled my eyes with another groan. 

"Can't this wait until the weekend, Ar?" I grumbled, feeling my embarrassment starting to get the better of me. 

"Absolutely not, Er. You got me started and you plan to just keep me in suspense until the weekend? You know how persistent I can be. I won't leave you alone until you tell me." Armin fixed me with another smug look and I expressed my annoyance with him with a guttural groan.

"Ugh! Fine, but I swear to god if you say _anything_ about this to Mikasa, I'll destroy you and everything you love." I said while narrowing my eyes at him.

Armin only threw his head back and barked out a hardy laugh which only further annoyed me but, I reluctantly started telling him about my experiences in Paris and about that night on the bridge with Levi. Somehow, our lunch break turned into gossip hour instead and one thing led to another. Before I knew it, I had already told Armin something I had never planned on telling anyone ever but I was so caught up in explaining the situation between Levi and I that it just slipped out and by _'it'_ I mean the Erwin Smith incident.

Armin was surprised that he nearly fell back off his chair, "YOU SLEPT WITH ERWI-" 

I had to slap my hand over his mouth before he said announced to the entire Survey Corps building that yes, I did indeed sleep with my employer and the owner of the entire god damn company. We got a few strange looks from some of the other passing employees but it seemed like I had stopped Armin just in time. 

" _Armin_!" I hissed at him quietly.

I finally removed my hand from his mouth and Armin still looked slightly shocked but he was trying his best to keep calm. I could see the confusion and questions in his big, blue eyes and I prepared myself for the inevitable question that was to come. 

"When did this happen, Eren?" he asked quietly, a slightly stern look on his face and suddenly I felt like a child being reprimanded by their parent. 

I shrugged my shoulders halfheartedly, "About a month ago I guess." 

Armin sighed heavily while rubbing his temples with his fingers, "Why didn't you tell me anything sooner. All this time and I had no idea that had happened between you and-- wait a minute... did this _'thing'_ happen when I couldn't come into the office that one time because my grandpa was sick?" blue eyes narrowed at me suspiciously and I couldn't do anything but give Armin a sheepish little smile. The answer was probably written all over my face. 

"It just sort of happened," I shrugged again, feeling the tips of my ears turning hot as I explained my situation to Armin who continued to listen earnestly. After I had finished explaining everything to Armin, he simply sat there in silence while staring at me. "What?" I prompted nervously. 

"So, how was it?" Armin finally asked, his expression mostly blank.

"How was what?" I asked in slight confusion to his odd question. 

"How was Erwin on a scale of 1-10?" finally, his blank expression broke into that of a playful one as he flashed a big shit-eating grin at me while his eyebrows waggled suggestively at me. 

I felt my entire face heat up once more as I struggled to find words to express my embarrassment. Armin was unbelievable. How I'd managed to be friends with him this long, I'll never know. I feel like that longer I know Armin the more messed up I think he is. Honestly, who would ask that kind of thing about their boss so casually? Armin Arlert apparently.

"I-I'm not telling you something like that. Are you crazy?" I muttered under my breath, meanwhile my face was probably starting to look like something similar to a tomato as Armin doubled over with uncontrollable laughter. 

I didn't see what was so funny about the situation at all, but at least Armin seemed to be getting his joy from my pain. Still, even after explaining everything to Armin, nothing seemed to make sense as to why my heart was in such a state whenever Levi was anywhere near. Hell, even when he wasn't around I found myself thinking about him in ways that I probably shouldn't. Armin and I finished our lunch break and rode the elevators back up toward our respective floors.

"Do you remember what I warned you about when I dropped you off at the airport? About not going off to Paris and falling in love with some suave french man?" the silence in the elevator broken by Armin's question.

"Hm? Yeah, what about it?" I asked absently as I got ready to step off the elevator onto my floor. Armin stayed put in his little corner of the elevator, his stop would be on the 30th floor. 

"Well, I think you went and got your heart stolen in Paris by an angry, short New Yorker by the name of Levi Ackerman." 

I froze after stepping out of the elevator. Armin's words had caught me completely off guard and as I spun around to ask him to repeat what he said, the elevator doors were already closing but I was able to catch a glimpse of a smiling blond devil just before the doors closed completely. I stood there, in front of the shiny elevator doors staring at my own reflection for what felt like hours. My mouth was hanging open and I probably looked like an idiot but my mind was too wrapped up in what Armin had said just as I stepped out of the elevator. 

Was it possible for me to have had my heart stolen by my boss? A man who up until a few months ago I loathed more than anyone else on this entire planet? When I thought about it, it was definitely a possibility. Levi is an attractive man and I've always thought so since the very first day I met him, even when he was a first class asshole with me and even when we got into that fight, I just can't leave Levi Ackerman alone. But I didn't want to think about such things now. I was still at work and I was a professional first. If there was one thing I taught myself to never forget, it was to never bring personal matters into the workplace. As soon as you walk through those glass doors, you leave your private matters at home. 

I did the same with this new information Armin suddenly threw at me. Filing it away to worry about at a later date when I wasn't at work, I finally managed to pull myself away from those elevator doors and start back toward my desk to continue on with my work as if nothing was wrong. I waved at Krista as I passed by the receptionist desk, she flashed me a sweet smile and a small wave back but then I was being stopped by the annoying horse fucker sitting next to her. 

"Oi, Jaeger. Got a delivery or something." he said as he tossed a small box at me carelessly. 

I caught it with ease and frowned at Jean who was already ignoring me completely as he curled his fingers and picked at his perfectly polished nails. I rolled my eyes at him but decided against saying anything else as it would only ruin what little of my good mood I still had. Erasing that little incident with Rainbow dash from my mind, I reached my desk and started up my computer before sitting down and getting back to work. Glancing at the time on my phone before I put it away, I realized my lunch with Armin had run a little longer than I thought but Levi still wasn't back yet. 

It was well past 1pm but his office was still dark and the door was still closed so I could only assume he was still out with Hanji, Erwin and Mike. I definitely shouldn't have felt a pang of disappointment in my chest at the thought of Levi not being back yet and I quickly tried to distract myself from letting my brain get carried away with my thoughts. I glanced at the small, white box Jean had tossed at me saying it was a delivery but I don't remember waiting for anything to be delivered to me. Taking the small box in my hand, I flipped it over a few times and studied it. It wasn't heavy by any means, it almost fit perfectly in my hand and it had a red satin ribbon tied around it. 

The more I looked at it, the more I thought it looked like some kind of gift but who in the world would send me a gift at work? Shrugging, I decided to open the box and see if there was any clue as to who would send a gift to me of all people. I gingerly tugged at the ribbon until it unraveled and lifted the top off the small box. At first, I was slightly confused. There was a key inside, bronze in color with a strange shape of the turning head. There was also a folded note lying underneath the key and I carefully plucked it from the box and started reading what looked like a hand written note at first but then I realized it wasn't handwritten, it was printed script on the paper. 

In small black script, the note read:

> _" Do you think that we could fall in love per chance?" _
> 
> _" — Rivaille" _

I felt my heart start fluttering in my chest as I read the name at the bottom of the note. _Rivaille_. It was the same person who sent me that flower over a month ago along with that short poem about my eyes. I didn't have any idea who this Rivaille person was, but I still kept the note they sent with the flower the first time. I flipped the note over and I was surprised to see something else printed on the back; directions. It was directions to somewhere in Central park, I could tell that for sure. Was it a good idea to go and check it out after work? I still didn't get what the key meant or what it was even for. For all I knew, it could be some stalker trying to get me alone in his apartment but there was just something about that name. _Rivaille_

"Oi, Eren." 

I startled at the sound of Levi's low voice calling my name, my heart practically leaping out from my chest as I quickly crumpled the note and key in my hand. It was an accident really, I didn't intend to crumple the note but Levi scared me. My eyes trailed up to meet Levi's and I noticed he was standing right by my desk, frowning. Well, frowning more than usual anyway. His coat was slung over his arm and the top two buttons of his shirt were left opened, giving me another glimpse of his pale collar bones and that neck that was thick with muscle. I swallowed and tried to shake off those thoughts for now. I was still at work, right. 

"Y-Yes, Levi?" I could answer in a weak, shaky voice that sounded suspicious even to my own ears. 

Levi eyed me carefully, silver and blue scanning me up and down and then they stopped on my fisted hand on top of my desk and then to the small white box that I had left out. There was a flash of something similar to surprise in his eyes but it was brief and just as quickly as I had seen it, it was gone. Veiled behind that usual guarded blank expression of his that he wore day in and day out. I sparked something inside me that wanted to suddenly ask Levi if he knew who this Rivaille person was but I quickly waved away that thought. There was no way Levi could know who this person was when I didn't even have the first clue as to who it could be. 

"I need you to get the photographer for the cover shoot on the line. Erwin, that bastard, just informed me of a change he wants to make to the layout and now we have to re-shoot." Levi seemed irritated all of a sudden and I wondered if perhaps I was reading too much into things but regardless, I had a job to do. 

"Got it. I'll have the photographer on the line for you in a minute. Do you need me to do anything else?" 

"Tea." was all he said before he retreated into his dark office without so much as turning his head back to look at me. 

I wondered briefly why Levi seemed to be in such a bad mood all of a sudden, and I use the word 'bad mood' lightly. I'd seen Levi at his worst when he was angry or upset with something and it is not pretty in the least. In these last few months of working with him, I'd learned what a short temper he actually has despite his usual cool and calm demeanor but that temper was also another reason why a lot of people tried to make sure they did exactly as they're told which also makes me respect him even more. I don't know whether or not what I was feeling for Levi was love or if it was just me confusing admiration and respect with feelings of love but whatever it was, I was determined not to pay any attention to it for now. My main focus for the rest of the day would be work, work, work. 

Still, even as I thought this. The crumpled note and key that I had in my hand moments ago sat securely in the pocket of my slacks and I was all too aware of their presence. I was itching to get this work day over with so I could head to central park and follow the directions that Rivaille had left me on the note. Just who was Rivaille? What kind of person was he, I wondered. He seemed like a real romanticist, even a gentlemen but I could always be wrong. Still, I let myself encourage the ridiculous thought of this mysterious Rivaille being a certain short, angry new yorker and the rest of my day went by in a flash.

\- ◆ -

I found myself leaving the office in a hurry that evening. I wasn't going straight home, so I figured there was probably no need for Mikasa to ask me if I needed a ride. I didn't need to worry about Mikasa though, she was much too preoccupied with Annie and I was fine with that. This was something I wanted to do alone, even though it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. It was getting close to mid-february, Valentines day was quite literally right around the corner and as I walked down 79th street toward the park I realized once again that I was surrounded by couples on every side.

Now, I've never really been one to get bitter about being single on Valentines day. Even before I met Thomas, whenever I spent Valentines day alone I never really minded it. Even now, the thought of spending Valentines day alone for the first time in three years wasn't all that upsetting for me but it was the "what if's" and the 'Maybe's that were bugging me. When I thought about it, I did this to myself. I could have had a real meaningful relationship with Reiner if I wanted to and then maybe I wouldn't have to be going through all this unnecessary turmoil of trying to figure out if I was falling in love with my asshole boss or not. 

I tightened my jacket around myself a little more tightly as a particularly strong wind blew past. Winter in New York was absolutely awful, I don't care what anyone tells you. It was bad enough I didn't really like the cold myself to begin with, let alone snow but I normally bared with it unlike a certain boss of mine. At the thought of Levi and his extreme hate of cold weather, I couldn't help but chuckle. He truly wasn't the man I thought he was when we first met. Granted, he was still an asshole and would probably always be an asshole but getting to know the many other sides of Levi has been an experience for sure. Like, I never would have pegged him as the type to watch old black and white movies let alone memorize the musical numbers by heart. Or, I never would have guessed how much he dotes over his cat like if it were a real child or how easily offended he gets if you insult his cat in any way shape or form. 

I was so consumed in my thoughts that I didn't even realize when I had already entered the park and I was making my way toward Belvedere Castle. Slightly confused, I hurridly fished out the crumpled note from my jacket pocket and re-read about three times before I realized that I was indeed still heading in the right direction but I was still perplexed as to why these directions were leading me toward the castle. As I continued to walk, cyclist and cars alike passed me by as I let my mind wander back to my previous thoughts at hand. 

I briefly wondered if I would have been happy with Reiner had I taken our relationship to the next level. It was only because of my need to work even when I wasn't working that our relationship didn't get anywhere past casual sex and cuddling. Okay, so the casual sex was only once... twice... kind of. Point is, would I have been able to be happy with someone like Reiner? There was nothing wrong with him, really. He was sweet, caring, sexy and a lot of people liked him and look up to him. He would have been the perfect boyfriend in a lot of ways but when I think about it, had I been in a relationship with Reiner from the start I probably would have never been tempted to sleep with Erwin, Levi would have never overheard Erwin and I that day in his office and we would have never had that fight. 

But at the same time, I never would have gotten to know Levi on a more personal level if none of that had happened. Everything that had happened that led up to Levi and I and that night in Paris, there was absolutely nothing I would want to go back and change if it meant not experiencing that moment with him. That night in Paris, I don't know if it was just because of the glittering lights that reflected in his usually cold eyes that made them seem so much softer and warmer than usual. The way Levi looked at me that night as he translated the words to La Vie En Rose to me in a low voice meant for only my ears to hear, I could have sworn I saw tenderness and adoration in those usually guarded eyes. Eyes that never dared to let anyone else in, that always seemed to be flashing a warning sign for others to keep away. That night, those eyes were completely unguarded and open for me to see into clearly. 

I wondered what Levi thought of me. How he sees me through those mismatched eyes of his. Did he still think I was nothing more than an eyesore to him, even after all this time we've spent together both in and out of the office? Was Armin right? Had I let Levi get too close to me, close enough for him to steal my heart even after all the shit he put me through in the beginning? Or rather, did I _let_ him steal my heart? All these unanswered questions were starting to give me a headache and I sighed heavily through my nose, causing a puff of smoke to appear before my eyes. I shivered as another cold breeze whooshed past me and then I was stopping dead in my tracks. I had come face to face with a gate.

Looking at my surroundings, I realized I was at something of a dead end of sorts. Fishing out the note with the directions once more, I made sure I was in the correct spot by pulling out my phone and typing in the directions into google maps. I followed the route my phone indicated and realized that yes, I was in the right spot. Looking back up at the gated off balcony, I searched for the key that I had safely put away into my pocket and made a small 'Aha!' sound when I had found it. 

Cautiously, I stepped toward the gate which was kind of old and covered with ice from the frozen rain and I inserted the key into the keyhole. With a little bit of jiggling to get the tumblers loose, I successfully unlocked the gate and started pushing it open. The iron gate groaned loudly and it was kind of hard to push open but once I did, I was both confused and slightly amazed by what I saw. 

There, on that balcony overlooking turtle pond was a single, lone bench. But it was what was sitting on that lone bench that caught me by surprise. On the bench was a familiar pink [flower](https://31.media.tumblr.com/c72e82c1ecb9d2e23c8749aa715ed5aa/tumblr_mt6n36vNOq1sh4dnjo1_500.jpg) that recalled receiving from Rivaille a couple of months ago. A Camellia flower is what Miss Nanaba -the florist- had called it. I approached the bench and plucked the flower up in my fingertips carefully. It was as gorgeous as the first Camellia flower I had received and I lightly stroked at one of it's large petals feeling the velvety texture on the pad of my fingertip. 

Something else caught my eye as the setting sun reflected off of a shiny plaque that was on the back of the bench. I squinted and struggled to read the words that were engraved on it before I eventually just settled on sitting on the bench in order to read what the plaque said. The bench was cold and a little wet from the light showers we had earlier but otherwise compared to most benches in New York City, it was ridiculously clean. I was finally able to make out the words on the plaque and they read as such,

> __" I reach for you like I'd reach for a Star"  
>  Worshiping you from afar, Living with my silent love  
>  I'm like a flame dying out in the rain  
>  Only the ashes remain, smoldering like my silent love 
> 
> _" — R." _

As I sat there on that bench watching the sun setting in the distance, my heart pounding so loudly in my ears that I could barely hear myself think, I couldn't help but smile stupidly into my scarf. I was sure my cheeks were probably pinker than the clouds in the sky during the sunset. The name Rivaille popped into my mind several times on my way home that evening. Just who was Rivaille and why did just thinking of their name make my heart skip a beat now? Would I ever get to meet this mysterious admirer of mine or would Rivaille continue to be this faceless figure I'd come to know?

All I knew was that none of these endless questions were helping my current state of mine at all. I still didn't know what my feelings toward Levi were exactly, if he felt anything toward me at all and I certainly still had no clue as to who this faceless Rivaille was. I was so exhausted from all this thinking and wondering and guessing, by the time I got home it was already dark out and Mikasa and Dad were sitting in the living room together watching television. Well, Mikasa was on the phone with Annie but she was sitting in front of the television so I guess it still counts. 

"You're back rather late, son." my dad greeted me with a smile regardless. 

"Huh? oh, yeah sorry. I stopped off somewhere on the way home but I'm kind of tired from work so I think I'm just gonna go to bed." to emphasize my point, I yawned widely and sent a lazy wave to Mikasa and my dad before I sluggishly dragged my tired self down into the basement where my bed looked as inviting as ever. 

I was too tired to care about changing my clothes as I threw off my jacket slinging it over chair and after lazily kicking off my boots and removing the tie I'd worn that day with the button up Mikasa had insisted I wear. I knew my button up would probably be wrinkled when I woke up in the morning but I just didn't care. My mind was fried from all this thinking and I just wanted to sleep and forget about Levi and Rivaille and all these confusing feelings I was experiencing. I hoped that by the morning, I'd magically have my answers to all my questions but I knew that was just wishful thinking. As my eyes began to droop heavily, I remembered to take off my glasses before falling asleep. As I drifted in and out of sleep, a nameless song was stuck in my head before I blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I'm sorry for the lack of frequent updates for this fic, I haven't forgotten about it. I've just been a little busy with other projects and well, just life in general. 
> 
> *** Camellia Flower** \- Admiration; Perfection; Gift to a Man; A Pink Camellia flower means 'Longing for You'


	24. Need you to be my Lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“We don’t need fashion to survive, we just desire it so much.”_ — **Marc Jacobs**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -evil laughter-
> 
> So, I took longer than usual to update for several reasons but one main reason is because I needed to stop and figure out where the hell I was going with this and I finally figured it out so I have some stuff planned for you guys! 
> 
> Thanks in advance for being so patient with me! FINALLY, here's some Ereri feels for you all as a reward for waiting so god damn long!

_He sticks his fingers into my mouth, letting my tongue lick and suck on them, coating them well with my saliva. Those sharp, piercing eyes of his trained solely on me causing a shiver to run down my spine as a smug smirk slowly forms on his face. I don't remember how I got into this position but what I do know is that I'm perfectly comfortable here, sunken between Levi's spread thighs on my knees as I continue to suck and lick his fingers._

_"You're really enjoying this aren't you, Eren?" his smooth voice asks me, the slight husky undertone that he tries to mask only fuels my desires. His smirks widens, " Would you like me to fuck you properly? Answer me." he takes on a more demanding tone now, nearly snarling at me and I can't help but let a moan slip out._

_"P-Please, Levi." my voice comes out weak and needy as I try to palm at my own erection but Levi's low growl stills my hand from touching myself._

_"What is it, Eren? You have to tell me what it is you want or else I'll have no problem leaving you like this, in this state." he flashes a wolfish grin at me, wicked and unfairly attractive on his pale features. " You don't want that, now do you?"_

_I shake my head in quick disapproval, a whine leaving the back of my throat at the thought of Levi's hand not touching me soon. I needed to feel those slender fingers of his running up and down every inch of my body, to feel the light tickle of his cold fingertips against my hot skin. Like ice to a flame, I wanted to melt at his touch. To throw caution to the wind and let this man have his way with me because heaven knows, I wanted him to have his way with me._

_All I could do was repeat the same thing over and over like a desperate prayer, hoping that Levi would be my salvation and deliver me from the ache of need throbbing in my groin. His thumb lightly traced my bottom lip, pulling it down slightly as I continued to plead ' Please, please, please.' in a weak cry. My body felt like it was on fire and his icy touch was the only thing that could relieve this intense burn. _

_"Please, what?" he purrs. _

_"Please... fuck me, Levi." My voice cracked as I begged but it seemed to do the trick._

_Next thing I know, Levi is unzipping his trousers and my eyes immediately dart to the growing bulge in his pants. He slips one of his pale hands underneath the waistband of his underwear and I watch with eyes blown over with lust as he palms at himself, a low groan leaving his lips and suddenly I'm pulling his hand away and latching my mouth onto the outline of his cock through the material of his boxer briefs. I continued to mouth at his erection, earning more low groans and grunts from Levi as he carded his hand through my long hair, sometimes stopping to tug at it before he went back to running his nimble fingers through it gently._

_"Suck me." He growls in a commanding tone, fingers yanking at my hair and successfully earning a wanton moan on my part. _

_The pain of having my hair tugged while being commanded to suck his cock was simply too lewd and I wasted no time in yanking his boxers down, his cock curving upward against his stomach proudly, fully erect, throbbing and leaking precum. I can't help but want to have it in my mouth, to taste the bitter saltiness of his skin mixed with his precum and to choke on it's size._

_I stick the flat of my tongue out, puffing hot breaths of air over the crown of his head as I inch my mouth closer and closer. I can feel Levi's hand cradling the back of my head, his fingers tangled in the longer hairs at the nape of my neck. He positions the head of his cock toward my waiting mouth and--_

"Eren, if you don't wake up you're going to be late!!" 

The sound of Mikasa's voice screaming at me from the top of the basement steps has me jolting awake. Confused as to where I am, My half-lidded eyes blearly glance around my room taking in my surroundings, realizing that I was in fact in my own bedroom and no Levi in sight. I can hear Mikasa's voice talking to my dad from upstairs and I let out a frustrated groan as I violently rub at my eyes. 

Damn it. That was the umpteenth time I'd had that kind of dream about Levi. At first it was just a little worrisome but I'd been having nonstop wet dreams about my boss for the past two weeks and it was not helping my current situation in the least. Mikasa was still unaware of my little secret crush or whatever I had on Levi, as well as what happened in Paris, to which I was thankful for because if she knew then I knew she'd be out for Levi's head and I'd never hear the end of it. 

"Eren, I'm leaving with or without you!" she called from the steps once more before I heard the heels of her shoes clicking away.

Great. Not only did I have another awkward wet dream about my boss but I woke up late because of it and I'd probably still be late for work since I currently felt my morning wood throbbing between my thighs, begging me to tend to it's needs. I knew for a fact that it wouldn't just go away on it's own, not after having such a vivid dream like that. With another loud groan of frustration, I forced myself out of bed and awkwardly waddled toward my bathroom where I ran a shower for myself. 

Hey, if I was going to be late anyway, I might as well take the time to shower if I'm going to beat off. Can't go into the office smelly _and_ with a massive raging boner. I quickly stripped myself of my PJ's and let the shower run until the mirrors fogged over. I stared down at my leaking erection and sighed,

"This is all your fault." I muttered before I pulled back the curtain and stepped into the shower. This was going to be a _long_ day.

\- ◆ -

I walked into the office that day in the worst mood imaginable. I was almost an hour late and I just knew I was going to have my ass handed to me by Levi. On my way up to the 26th floor, I mentally prepared myself for the vicious tongue lashing I was about to receive. When I thought about it, I should have at least called in and said that I was going to be late even if I knew some lame bullshit excuse wouldn't work in my favor. I wasn't into lying about my being late either so as I rode the elevator up to my floor, I came to terms with my fate and accepted it.

To my surprise, as soon as I stepped out of the elevator and unfortunately locked gazes with a certain pony boy my morning took an unexpected turn for the better when Jean opened his horse mouth and spoke to me on my way in. 

"And here I was hoping that you'd already had enough of this place and quit, Jaeger."

"Shut it, Altivo. I'm not in the mood." 

"Road to El Dorado reference?" 

"Yep." 

"Well, that's a new one for the books."

I rolled my eyes as I passed Jean's side of the receptionists desk. Krista was smiling and shaking her head at our shenanigans. As odd as it sounds, Jean and I seemed to find some kind of middle ground between the both of us. We'd developed a sort of routine where we'd throw around a few insults at each other every morning and try to figure out who has the best insults. I guess it was my win today. 

"By the way, Jaeger." Jean called out to me as I walked away. "Looks like you got lucky today. Levi hasn't come in yet." 

I paused for a second, taking in what Jean had just said. Levi hadn't come in yet? I started up a brisk walk toward my desk, turning a corner sharply and holding my breath as I approached Levi's office. The first thing I noticed was the shut door, then the shades that were still drawn in his office and the lack of a light on. Apparently Jean hadn't been lying and was telling the truth about Levi not being in his office yet which was odd in itself, but I was currently too relieved to worry about the 'how's or 'why's. All I knew was that I wouldn't be getting my ass chewed out and that was enough for me. 

I started powering up my computer while removing my jacket and taking the phones off hold. I check the time on my phone and realized it was almost 10am, it wasn't like it was odd for Levi to be late by a few minutes sometimes but for him to be _this_ late was weird even for him. I quickly hurried into Levi's office and started drawing all the shades open, not that there was much sunlight coming in anyway. It was dark and cloudy outside and it had rained pretty heavily that morning. The streets were practically flooded and I felt bad for anyone who happened to be walking on the sidewalks right about now.

I had enough time to quickly dust Levi's office and organize some of the papers that had been haphazardly left out on his desk the night before and then I was rushing off to get his tea prepared so it would hopefully be ready by the time he came in. As I was hurrying out of Levi's office to go make his tea, I heard the office go eerily quiet all of a sudden. I could hear some of my other co-workers murmuring or speaking in hushed whispers and I glanced around curiously to see what all the fuss was about. When I finally spotted the source of all the attention, I quickly realized that it was in the form of a short, wet and angry new yorker with a murderous look his sharp eyes. 

Levi came speed walking toward his office absolutely soaking wet. He was leaving a trail of water behind as he walked but the puddles he was tracking in weren't what was worrying me. It was the look of complete and utter rage on his face, the worse-than-usual death glare he was giving to anyone he made eye contact with and the ridiculously fast speed he was approaching me in that worried me. Levi looked simply livid with anger and irritation as he finally approached me and tossed a wet coat at me. I fumbled with it for a few seconds before realizing that Levi was wearing a white dress shirt today, designer no doubt, and it was completely transparent on his torso as the wet material stuck to his skin.

My eyes couldn't help but trail down his body, taking in as much as I could and memorizing the contours of his muscles that were slightly visible through his wet shirt. I could see the way his shoulder blades moved and shifted as he started swiftly unbuttoning his shirt and then the sound of his voice, low and demanding, snapped me out of my reverie.

"Don't fucking talk to me until you've gotten me a clean shirt from the closet downstairs."

I blinked a bit in confusion before what he told me sunk in and I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment for staring at him dumbly all this time. I swallowed thickly and tried to push any unprofessional thoughts out of my mind. Now was not that time for me to be remembering my very vivid wet dream from this morning and the last thing I needed was to sport a massive boner while I had to run downstairs a get Levi a fresh shirt. 

"R-Right!" I squeaked before I was bolting out of his office and nearly sprinting toward the elevators. 

My heart was pounding a little too loudly in my chest and I was more than sure it wasn't because of physical exertion. I had to refrain from groaning out loud when the elevator doors finally opened for me and welcomed me with a sight of 6 other people who were all trying to get to various different floors. I squeezed myself into a corner and impatiently wait for the elevator to arrive at my floor, meanwhile I was having an internal battle with my own thoughts, doing my best not to think about Levi soaking wet. 

I managed to distract myself through the elevator ride down to the main lobby and then I was cutting through the late morning rush of people pouring into the building, all either running late or running errands. I nearly barreled into two women and a guy who simply wasn't paying any attention to where he was going but in the end I somehow or another arrived at the closet without any mishaps which seemed to be a miracle at this point. 

I breathed a sigh of relief as I entered the large wardrobe and shut the door behind me. To my surprise, Mikasa was already in there taking a models measurements along with Sasha who hardly even noticed my presence. Mikasa's dark eyes caught sight of me and internally groaned once more because Mikasa was the last person I wanted to run into this morning. 

"Did you just get into the office now?" she questioned with a skeptical look. 

I hadn't even noticed how quickly or harshly I was breathing and panting until just now and I tried to straighten up my posture and even out my rapid breathing before answering her question. 

"N-No, of course not." 

"Uh-huh." she drawled. "Then why do you look like you just ran all the way here? Your cheeks are bright red and you're sweating." 

"Hi, Eren!" Sasha chirped cheerfully. 

"What? Oh, hey Sash." I answered innocently, feeling my own hot cheeks and realizing I was blushing like mad. "No, this is not from me running here for not wanting to be late. Levi just got into the office and he's soaking wet. I rushed down here to get him a new shirt." my explanation came out a little too rushed and defensive and I could already see the suspicious look in Mikasa's eyes. 

"So, the midget is the reason why you're running around again." Mikasa grumbled while frowning deeply. "I swear, he works you way too hard."

"Mikasa." I exasperated with a sigh. "Not now. We'll talk about this later. I have to get back up to the 26th floor before all hell breaks loose." 

Before Mikasa could protest and continue her rant about my 'slave driver' boss, as she liked to put it, I quickly started looking through one of the nearby racks of shirts and other items of clothing before finding a similar white dress shirt with double french cuffs and luckily it was in Levi's size. I grabbed it off the rack and hurried out the door before Mikasa could stop me, and as I hurried out of the closet I could hear Sasha's voice yelling a 'bye, eren!' and I couldn't help but crack a little smile. 

Naturally, when I got back up to my floor Levi was waiting impatiently in his office with a deep scowl and I already knew he was going to chew me out for taking too long to come back with his clean shirt. As soon as his eyes landed on me, I swallowed nervously and then I was being pulled into his office by the cuff of my shirt. 

"Took you long enough, brat." he huffed before taking the shirt from my hand. 

"Sorry. The elevator was packed and--" I paused, my breath hitching in my throat as Levi peeled his wet shirt off his back slowly while grimacing.

My eyes immediately started studying the smooth pale skin that always teased me whenever Levi wore low-cut shirts and left the top buttons of his shirt open giving me glimpses of his prominent collar bones and thick neck. Now it was on full display for me and I could see the muscles in his strong back rippling as he stripped right in front of me. I was both surprised and not so surprised to see that Levi was ridiculously fit and cut like some kind of white marble statue. His defined abs, his large pecks, the cut of his biceps and triceps. I had an idea that Levi was probably in good shape but this went beyond my expectations. 

I thought I was finally in the clear but then he had to go and do the very thing that I hoped he wouldn't do. I nearly came in my pants when Levi suddenly reached up toward his wet hair with one of his hands and pushed his damp fringe out of his face in one smooth motion, giving me the perfect view of his sharp features. Damn him and his attractive face and his Greek Adonis like body. It's not fair that my boss with this fucking hot while I'm over here suffering because of it. 

"Oi, Eren." Levi drawled in a low, husky tone. 

"Uh, y-yeah?" I tried to answer as nonchalantly as possible without seeming guilty about currently having some very not-so-safe-for-work thoughts about my boss.

He paused to look at me, sharp eyes pinning me in my place as he slowly buttoned the shirt up one button at a time. My eyes darted between watching his fingers nimbly work the buttons of that shirt and his eyes that continued to pin me down. When he finally reached the top button, his fingers stopped altogether but he kept his gaze trained on me.

"Nothing. Forget it. Where's my tea?" he quickly dismissed before dropping his gaze breaking all eye contact. 

I felt a little less pressured as I breathed out a small sigh of relief, my shoulders had tensed without my knowing it and they relaxed once I was no longer under that intimidating gaze. Now that Levi was a little less wet and a lot less shirtless, I turned on the sole of my boot to make my escape from his office. 

"I'll have your tea ready in less than ten minutes."

I left Levi's office as quickly as I possibly could without seeming too obvious about it. The sooner I got away from the sex-god in human form, the better. As I quite literally power walked to one of the break rooms to prepare Levi's tea, brief images of my wet dream from this morning flashed through my mind and I tried to will them away before any uncomfortable boners make themselves known. When I reached the break room, it was thankfully empty and I let out a long, exasperated sigh. I knew from the moment I woke up from that dream this morning that today was probably going to be really crappy but now I had no doubt in my mind, today was going to be a very long, hard day.

\- ◆ -

As I had feared, I found myself struggling with my own thoughts as the day started drawing to a close. I mean, it was bad enough I was having wet dreams about my boss but that couldn't really be blamed on me. I couldn't control what my subconscious mind conjures up when I'm sleeping. But this... this was starting to get a little out of control. It's one thing to unintentionally fantasize about having sex with your boss, who just so happens to look like something out of a photoshopped center fold for GQ. It's another thing for me to be intentionally having sexual fantasies about Levi while I'm still on the clock but I just couldn't help myself.

My desk was situated right in front of his office window and I'd probably imagined myself in dozens of different positions on that man's desk in just the first half of the work day alone. I was working on a half empty tank, not to mention I was still pretty conflicted about my feelings for Levi in the first place. I couldn't deny that I did have some kind of feelings for him, feelings that could be categorized as feelings of Love. I'd admit that much but there was just no way I could ever act on those feelings. We came from two completely different worlds. Levi lived in the world of glamorous super models, expensive clothes, fancy cars and beautiful people. I lived in the real world which we all know wasn't nearly as glamorous as the life Levi leads on a daily basis. Still, that didn't stop my mind from continuing it's fun little game of 'how-many-ways-can-eren-imagine-levi-fucking-him-in-his-office'. 

It was well after 5pm and most of the office had already cleared out. Of course, my work day ended when Levi left the office and today he decided since he came in over an hour late, he'd stay after hours and try to finish whatever he didn't get done that morning. Which also meant that I was stuck here in the office with Levi until he decided it was a good time for us to both go home. I was mentally exhausted if I was being honest. All I wanted to do was go home, wank off to my dirty fantasies and go to bed. But, of course, when you have Levi Ackerman as your boss something like that was impossible. I'd already finished all the of the tasks I'd been given and now I was simply just sitting here, staring at my hot boss as he sat at his desk scowling down at the mock up for April's newest issue. 

The blinds in his office were partially left open and the light from the setting sun poured in over his slightly hunched figure. In the rich fading orange sunlight, Levi's raven hair glittered as it was still partially damp from this afternoon. I could see every pale feature on his face thanks to his bangs still being messily pushed back and my heart stuttered in my chest as I continued to steal glances at him from the corners of my eyes and sometimes if I was really feeling bold, I'd outright stare at him for minutes.

My mind drifted back to that vivid dream from this morning. The memory of the husky tone of Levi's voice as he commanded me to suck his cock, his fingers carding through my hair and tugging at it sometimes. It all felt so real, I could remember nearly every little detail perfectly and I could feel a uncomfortable tightness in my pants. I was actually getting hard from the memory of my wet dream from this morning. I shifted in my seat awkwardly and tried to will any not-so-innocent-thoughts away but I startled when Levi's voice suddenly cut through the thick silence in the office. 

"Eren. Get in here." 

Shit. Of all times he calls for me it had to be when I was half-hard and trying to hide that fact. 

"C-Coming." I stuttered out as I stood up from my seat and grabbed a my pen and notepad, holding the notepad in front of my groin in a futile attempt to hide my erection as I quickly entered Levi's office. "Yes, Levi?" 

"What happened to the Features Article? I can't find it anywhere in the mock up and I know I had it on my desk last night." Levi flipped through a stack papers that were on his desk as he asked me this. 

"Oh, um, it should be right where you left it--" I reached over his desk to pick up a familiar looking folder but as I did so, I knocked over Levi's cup of pens and they scattered across the floor beneath his feet and some rolled underneath his desk in the process. "Shit!" I hissed quietly to myself as I got down on my knees and started picking up the scattered pens. 

"It's fine, Eren. Forget about it, I can pick them up myself." Levi said with a dismissive wave of his hand but I ignored him and continued to pick up each pen that had fallen on the floor. 

I crawled on my hands and knees, picking up every pen until the only ones that were left were the few that had rolled underneath his desk when they fell. I crawled until I was underneath his desk where I found the fallen pens laying by his feet and I quickly picked them up but my eyes caught a glimpse of Levi's crotch while I was down there and I froze. This was like my wet dream all over again. With me on my hands and knees underneath Levi's desk with my face directly in front of his dick as he teased me, letting me suck and lick his fingers. I felt my face heat at the vivid memory and I swallowed dryly, my own erection was practically throbbing in my pants as I was tempted to just start doing something, anything to relieve this ache of need and desire. 

"Brat. What's taking you so long?" Levi growled impatiently and my I felt my cock twitch at the tone of his voice. It was similar to the tone he used in my dream when he commands me to answer him. 

Levi pushes his chair away from his desk as he leans down to look at me still underneath the desk. My eyes meet striking silver and blue as Levi glares at me but his glare softens noticeably once he takes one look at me. No doubt, my face was probably redder than Mikasa's scarf and by now there was no hiding the raging boner in my pants and I could tell Levi was staring right at it. He said nothing as he stared at the tent I was pitching in my slacks and I was getting more uncomfortable with his silence than if he were to make some snarky comment about it instead. 

"Q-Quit staring already." I snapped halfheartedly at him. I was so embarrassed I couldn't even meet his gaze properly. 

There was a heavy silence between us as I made no moves to get out from under the desk and Levi made no moves to stop staring at me anytime soon. I could feel his gaze boring into me as he continued to stare and say nothing but it was when the corner of his lips twitched up into slow forming smirk that things suddenly took a sudden turn down a different road. 

"Eren." his low voice purred gently, like smooth velvet. I nearly shuddered at the way he said my name, almost caressing it on his tongue. 

[(X)](http://youtu.be/rrLOq6cdlUk?t=27s)

I finally mustered the courage to look up at him and I was slightly surprised to see the glazed look in his eyes as he motioned for me to come out from under the desk with a beckoning motion of his index finger. Then, before I realized what I was doing I was following the motion of his finger like a snake would to a snake charmers tune. I slowly crawled out from underneath the desk until I was nearly between Levi's legs. He suddenly pulled me up from the floor and steered me back until the backs of my legs hit the edge of his desk and Levi's mouth was attacking mine with a fierce hunger. It happened so quickly that my mind almost didn't register what was happening at all. Luckily, instinct picked up where my brain left off and I immediately started kissing him back. 

I had never been kissed this way before. It was rough, but there was a certain passion to it that I'd never felt while kissing someone. It almost seemed desperate as we continued to kiss, nip, suck and bite at each other's lips. Levi would run his tongue across my bottom lip asking for entrance and I'd grant it to him with pleasure, allowing him to explore the insides of my mouth, to suck on my tongue and to let him taste me. All the while, I was doing the same. My hands instinctively moved on their own and I had one hand brushing that soft fuzz of Levi's undercut while the other one fisted in the collar of his shirt, pulling his body closer and intensifying the kiss. 

We didn't pull away from each other until I couldn't take anymore and I needed air. I panted heavily against his lips and he did the same. I stared at him through hooded lashes, my entire body felt like it was burning up and wherever Levi touched me, it left another trail of fire on my already hot skin. His lips were shiny and swollen, as I'm sure mine were but it was the soft look in his eyes that captured my attention. 

"Why were you trying to hide this from me?" he asked so quietly it was almost a whisper.

I felt his hand start palming at me erection and I gasped in surprise, melting in his embrace as he continued to touch me. I still couldn't believe if any of this was real or not. I kept thinking that maybe I fell asleep at my desk and this was all some continuation of the wet dream I didn't get to finish this morning but this felt so real and so good. His lips attached to the tender underside of my jaw as my hands that was already fisted into his shirt twisted the fabric and my other hand tangled in his raven locks. I could feel his hot, wet tongue against my skin while his other hand busied itself with working my pants open. 

"L-Levi," I moaned. "Wait, we can't." 

"Why can't we?" he nearly growled against my throat and the feral tone he used had my knees going weak. "Don't tell me you don't want this when you're already this hard, Eren." 

"S-Somebody might see us," I weakly mumbled as his hand finally slipped into my boxers and his cold fingertips stroked at my cock lightly. "Levi, please." I begged. I wasn't even sure what I was asking for anymore. Was I asking him to stop? Was I asking him to keep going? I wasn't sure anymore. This man was taking over all of my senses and my head felt dizzy. He was so close that all I could smell was the faint scent of his Chanel Bleu cologne and whatever shampoo he uses for his hair. 

"If all you're worried about is someone seeing us, then let them see. I'm not stopping now." He finally took firm hold of my erection in his hand, pushing my underwear down until my cock was out and he started stroking me in slow, languid motions. 

"Ngh--shit!" I bit my bottom lip to try and muffle any loud moans that might try and escape but Levi only picked up the pace, rubbing the pad of his thumb over the head of my cock and spreading the pearls of precum that beaded out, using it as a lubricant for his hand. "F-fuck!" 

"It's alright, Eren. Let me hear your voice." he insinuated next to the shell of my ear. I was glad the desk was there to hold me up because if it wasn't, my legs probably would have gave out by now. 

"N-No way... hah..." I released the collar of his shirt in favor of grabbing at his back as Levi continued to stroke me at alternating paces of fast and slow, torturing me slowly. He would edge me, build me up until I was close to my climax and until my knees were quivering and just about ready to give out and then he'd slow his pace and wait for my building orgasm to fade. It was maddening and I was nearly in tears. "Uhng, L-Levi. Please. Please. Let me cum." I whined desperately into his shoulder as I hugged his chest closer to mine. I was holding onto him like my life depended on it.

I could feel Levi loosening my tie and unbuttoning the top buttons of my shirt, pushing the material aside until my shoulder and collar bone were exposed for the taking. Levi kissed my newly exposed skin softly, trailing more kisses across my shoulder until he stopped and bit down harshly. The feeling of pain mixed with the pleasure of his hand working my cock was what tipped me over the edge and his surprise bite had me cumming so hard I swear I saw spots behind my eyelids. 

"Oh, god Levi!" I buried my face into his neck and moaned against his skin as he jerked me through my orgasm. He continued to tease my hypersensitive head with his thumb until I was slumping against his shoulder but I could still feel him tenderly licking and sucking at the spot where he had just bit me. I was sure that there would probably be a pretty big mark there later but at the moment, I was too busy basking in post-coital bliss to care. 

My heart was thundering in my chest and I didn't even care that I had just come all over Levi's hand. I had just had one of the best orgasms in a long time and all I wanted to do now was curl up somewhere and fall asleep. I barely noticed that Levi kept leaving trails of soft kisses up my neck until his lips brushed against the shell of my ear and I could feel his soft breath against it causing me to shiver slightly. 

"Next Saturday. Have dinner with me." he spoke quietly. 

I couldn't help but laugh a little dryly, "Is that something you normally ask someone after just giving them a handjob?" 

"No." he answered bluntly. "but I'm asking _you_." 

I pulled away and straightened myself up to look at him clearly and he had the most serious expression in his eyes that I'd ever seen. Well, okay. He obviously wasn't just fucking with me when he asked me out to dinner, but was this really okay? I couldn't help but feel a little awkward about all this. It wasn't normal and it certainly wasn't how I imagined my day ending.

"Um, well. Okay. What should I wear?" I asked shyly as I tucked myself back into my underwear and zipped up my pants. Levi was already cleaning up after my mess and I couldn't help but blush at the fact that he was cleaning off my jizz from his hand. 

"Nothing too fancy. Just wear something nice." he said as he finished wiping his hand off with a wet-napkin.

I buttoned my shirt back up, my shoulder only aching slightly from where Levi had bitten me but I'd worry about that later. After readjusting my tie and fixing my glasses which had slipped down the bridge of my nose during Levi and I's heated make out session, I helped Levi organize the mess we'd made in tense silence although the awkward part only seemed to be affecting me. Levi seemed completely normal, almost pleased in fact. Then again, I guessed it was because he was used to this sort of thing. That thought had my heart clenching in my chest painfully. That was not a road I wanted to go down right now. Levi's reputation as a famous playboy and man-whore was something I took into consideration a little too late. 

"I think we've done all we can for today. Pack it up and go home, Jaeger." 

"Oh, uh, are you sure? I don't mind staying a little longer if you need me to." 

Levi shook his head as he stood up from his desk and approached me. He adjusted my tie which apparently was crooked and smoothed out the wrinkles in my shirt before he looked up into my eyes and smirked. 

"Go home, I'll see you tomorrow morning and don't forget about next Saturday." 

Levi's decision seemed final and there was never any room for protest when he made up his mind about something. I reluctantly agreed and walked out of his office to start gathering my things so I could clock out and go home. It was strange. All day today all I wanted to do was hurry up and go home but now after all that had just happened I wanted nothing more than to stay with Levi just a little while longer. I was getting in too deep with my feelings for Levi and now I was at the point of no return. 

"Well, I'm leaving." I said as I passed his open office door. 

Levi was sitting at his desk hunched over that same stack of papers I helped him reorganize earlier but he looked up when I addressed him I felt my heart rate speed up when the tiniest of smiles tugged at one corner of his lips. 

"Get home safe, brat." was all he said before he returned his gaze to the stack of folders and papers in front of him. 

I wouldn't lie, I was a little disappointed as I walked away from Levi's office and made my way toward the elevators. I kept hoping that he'd come after me and ask me to stay with him a little longer in the end but he never did. The entire way home, all I could think about was Levi. He was all I ever seemed to think about these days. I couldn't really explain why my heart was hurting so much. It wasn't like I was rejected or anything, it was more the opposite really. Levi Ackerman asked me out to dinner and as far as I knew, that was practically unheard of. Levi didn't ask people out on dates. He sleeps with them and then moves on to the next one. End of story. 

So, why was it that no matter how happy I should have been that he was asking me of all people out to dinner, I couldn't help but expect the worst? What did this mean for us? Are Levi and I going to start dating now? Does any of this mean he has feelings for me as well? I knew what my feelings for Levi were, but I wanted to know what his feelings for me were or if he even had any in the first place. Did he care for me the way I cared for him? Or were these feelings only one-sided? Sighing, I decided to stop thinking about it. In the end, there's no way of knowing for sure what Levi's thinking. I would just have to wait and see until next Saturday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi, ya dumb. 
> 
> Don't be too hard on our midget my dear readers. He's not very good at expressing his feelings but it'll all work out in the end.
> 
> Haute Couture Love is coming up on it's last few chapters now guys! I'll be ending this fic pretty soon but I still have a few more chapters planned for you guys! I'd say somewhere between 3-4 more chapters before it's finished. Look forward to it!


	25. Captivated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“Fashion is not necessarily about labels. It’s not about brands. It’s about something else that comes from within you.”_ — **Ralph Lauren**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I'm finally back!  
> First of all, I want to apologize for the dely in updating this fic. I've been having some issues with my computer and haven't had access to my laptop in the past couple of weeks so, yeah.  
> Second of all, we're coming up on the last leg of this story!  
> I'm sad that this is ending but all good things must come to an end.  
> I'd say there's maybe one more chapter to go before I finish this but rest assured that I'm already working on my next Ereri project as we speak!! 
> 
> So, without further dely, enjoy this chapter and enjoy our two dumb babies going on their first date!! -throws confetti-

I passed through my next few days at work in a daze. Much like I had after my trip with Levi to Paris but it was much worse this time around in my opinion. I just couldn't focus on anything and I was more aware of Levi than I ever had before. I wasn't the only one, apparently. After what happened that evening in Levi's office almost a week ago, my tyrannic boss had suddenly done almost a full one-eighty over night. The entire office was buzzing when I had come into work that following morning. My blood immediately started to warm when I met face to face with Levi after that embarrassing moment of weakness I had when I had let him jerk me off against his desk the evening before. To my surprise, even though I was 10 minutes late Levi didn't give me his usual tongue lashing as I or anyone that worked under him was used to getting. Instead, he just shrugged it off and blamed the lateness on the shitty weather. I, along with several of my co-workers were left speechless. 

When Levi's off behavior continued into the next morning and the next... and the next... and the next after that, I was starting to worry that maybe Levi was sick because he just wasn't acting like himself at all. He was way too... happy and I use that word lightly. He didn't snap at a young girl who was newly hired for nearly spilling coffee all over his expensive designer shoes, didn't even say a single mean thing to her. Instead he just told her be more careful next time and went on his merry little way. If that had happened a week ago, Levi would have had that girl in tears with just a few simple words about being a fucking moronic idiot. I should know, I'd seen it happen on several occasions. 

Another notable incident that happened was when Jean had been caught practically dry humping Marco in one of the break rooms. Levi didn't normally go into the break rooms, anything he needed, I would get for him but that day he wanted coffee instead of tea which was rare and told me he'd get it himself. A minute later, Jean and Marco walked out of the break room noticeably disheveled as they haphazardly adjusted their wrinkled shirts and crooked ties and smoothed down their mussed hair. Marco look utterly mortified as he hurried toward the elevators to get back to accounting and Jean seemed dazed and perplexed. Levi followed Jean out half a minute later with a strangely content look on his face. 

"Hey, Horsefeathers. What was that all about?" I had whispered to Jean as he passed by my desk.

Jean's sharp glare snapped toward me before he narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously. 

"I could ask you the same thing, Jaeger." he nearly spat but refrained as Levi rounded the corner and entered his office without so much as a glance Jean's way.

He did however stop to look at me and it had him pausing at the door for a second or two, "Eren, I need you in my office in a minute. Bring the notes from my last meeting with you."

It was an order, that much was obvious, but the strong command of his voice didn't reach his eyes that almost seemed to soften as he looked at me. I could see a smile ghosting over his lips before he turned and walked into his office shutting the door behind him as he did so. Jean stood by my desk, blinking in confusion at the strange but subtle display of emotion on Levi's face and then he was turning his accusing amber gaze back at me. 

"Meet me at lunch. We need to talk." Jean said sternly. 

I opened my mouth to protest with another sarcastic remark about his long face but Jean had already briskly walked away from me, not even giving me the chance to answer him at all. I didn't understand why he was so serious all of sudden. It's not like it was my fault he was caught eating his boyfriends face while on the clock. Still, from the lack of anger or annoyance on Levi's face when he came back from the break room, I let my stare linger on him for a moment as I stood and gathered my things so that I could enter his office. My heart was pounding in my chest, as it had been doing whenever I was so much as in a 20 foot radius of Levi in the same god damn room. I wouldn't lie, I was a little excited about our dinner date tomorrow. Levi seemed so serious about it when he asked me out. I was actually starting to hope that maybe I was wrong about Levi's intentions from the very beginning.

\- ◆ -

"Alright. Spill. What's going on between you and Levi Ackerman?" were the first words out of Jean's mouth when I reluctantly joined him at the same table outside for lunch.

I wasn't exactly sure why I had even bothered to meet him. Jean and I still weren't exactly the best of friends but we'd managed to tolerate each other whenever we all met up with our mutual group of friends at bars or someones apartment. We still flung insults at each other, which had become a sort of thing between the both of us but I definitely wouldn't call him a friend. More like an acquaintance and barely even that. 

"What are you braying about now?" 

Jean fixed me with a stern glare, his jaw tightening. "Don't be an _ass_ , Jaeger." 

"Hm, I think you've pretty much got that covered, Donkey Boy." 

" _Eren._ " Jean hissed through clenched teeth. I could see a vein pulsing on the side of his neck as he did his best to calm himself. I just couldn't resist teasing Jean. It was seriously becoming a habit. "I'm serious. Don't think you can play dumb and pretend I can't see that there's obviously something going on between the two of you." he snapped at me as quietly as he could without causing a scene. 

I swallowed thickly and glanced around warily. I was starting to regret coming to meet Jean but at least he insisted we eat lunch outside by the park so there were less chances of us being heard. 

"Eren." Jean said a little more softly this time. I was slightly surprised by the worried look in his warm eyes. "I see the way Levi looks at you when you're together in his office. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one either." he sighed. "Look, I know we haven't exactly been on the best terms since you first got here and I know I've been a dick to you most of the time but right now, I'm just trying to help you." 

"Help me with what?" I asked, my nose scrunching up in confusion. 

Jean stared at me for a long moment before he ran a ran through his ash colored hair and leaned back in his seat. 

"Don't take this the wrong way, Jaeger. I couldn't give a shit if you and Levi are a thing now. My... _feelings_ for Levi are long gone now that I'm with Marco but-" he stopped abruptly, leaning forward across the table we were sitting at as he lowered his voice so that only I could hear him. "I know what kind of guy Levi is. I know how he works and if I'm being honest, I don't want you to end up having to go through what I went through with him." he finally admitted albeit a bit grudgingly. 

"Look, Jean. I don't care about what you and Levi did in the past but I think I can handle him. In fact, I know I can handle him." 

He gave me a skeptical look, arching one of his perfectly shaped eyebrows high as if he didn't believe a word I just said. 

"Uh-huh. So, tell me, Genius. Has Levi already made his first move?" 

I parted my lips, ready to insult Jean when I snapped my mouth shut. My teeth clacking together noisily as I felt heat creep up from my neck, to my cheeks and eventually up to the tips of my ears. My face felt like it was on fire and I averted my eyes from Jean's as I fiddled with the hem of my cardigan. 

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Jean snorted sardonically. "Honestly, Jaeger. I'm not an idiot and I'm telling you to be careful when it comes to Levi. I think even you're aware of his infamous reputation as a charming playboy." 

I felt my heart clench painfully in my chest. I had been trying to avoid that thought all week. I lost sleep over it enough as it was. Going over it time and time again in my head as to why Levi would be attracted to me at all. Why he would have kissed me so tenderly, so desperately, so fucking passionately that it left me weak in the knees. If I had been kissed like that by anyone other than Levi, I would have immediately guessed that the kiss was genuine and meant to portray all of the love and affection they had for me but because it _was_ Levi Ackerman -the infamous man-whore- I was left with too many doubts and insecurities. 

"Let me guess. After he made his move, he asked you out for something like Dinner." Jean drawled. 

I could only sit in my seat with my head hanging in slight shame and embarrassment. Hearing this from Jean was not what I wanted. I felt like I was getting smaller and smaller as I sat there, my face on fire, tears prickling the corners of my eyes as I tried to blink the moisture away and compose myself. I would not let this get to me. Not now. I still had half the work day left ahead of me and I would have to face Levi once my lunch break was over. Now was not the time to feel heartbroken. 

"Eren, I know you're probably gonna think I'm an asshole for saying this but I'm only trying to look out for you because I know how it feels to have your emotions toyed with by someone like Levi. It's the crappiest feeling in the world and as much as I can't stand you, I wouldn't wish that kind of heartache on my worst enemy. Especially now that I've got someone as amazing as Marco who's showed me what it's like to be loved in return." Jean admitted with a coy little grin at the corner of his lips. I could tell by the way his warm, amber eyes softened at the mention of Marco that Jean was smitten for the cute accountant. Who wouldn't be? Even though Jean was a douche bag most of the time, I could always depend on him to be brutally honest and straight forward. 

"What do I do?" I asked, more so to myself than to Jean but I felt him clap what I guessed was a comforting hand on my shoulder. Even if the action itself was a bit awkward. 

"That, I can't tell you but what I can tell you is what to expect once your 'date' with Levi happens." he sat a little straighter in his seat and finally removed his hand from my shoulder. "He's going to insist on picking you up in one of his fancy cars. Even if you refuse, he'll be persistent. Then, he'll drive the both you to some expensive restaurant in the city where he'll have reserved the darkest corner for just the two of you. He'll probably order some ridiculously expensive wine next, imported most likely. There's going to be some live band or something of the like performing and he'll woo you so good that by the end of the night, you'll fall into his bed without a second thought. That's usually how it works." he explained with a bit of melancholic regret in his voice. Hell, I could see the regret plain on Jean's face as he sat across from me. Our lunches were untouched as we both sat there in a brief silence. 

"I think I'm screwed, Jean-bo." I brought my hands up to my face and buried them in my palms, feeling miserable all of a sudden and slightly sick to my stomach. "I'm so fucking screwed." 

"Hey, calm down drama queen." I heard Jean say with a suck of his teeth. "At least you have some idea of how things are going to play out, so you still have a way to ensure your heart ain't broken." Jean fell silent and I opened my fingers to peek at him through the slit. Jean was smiling warmly at me. "It's not too late." 

I was taken aback by his display of concern but not completely. I'd seen the way Jean cared for Sasha during Fashion Week. How he put his pride aside for a few minutes to help me out when I was obviously panicking about the run way show. Even then, he had shown some kind of worry and care and now I was seeing it all over again. So, maybe Jean and I wouldn't come out of this entire thing as the best of bros but at least I knew that Jean wasn't the complete asshole I thought him to be and that when it came to his friends, he was a decent human being when he wanted to be. 

"Thanks, I think." I said with a sigh as I finally stood up to dispose of my soggy sandwich that I'd barely touched since I sat down. Jean did the same and we walked back together in a tense silence. One that Jean dared not to disturb, even though I could see the slight regret on his face as we entered the elevators together to make our way up to our floor. I was lost in my own swirling thoughts over everything Jean told me. I was so fucking torn. A part of me, the smaller, more adventurous side of me told me to go with the flow and let whatever happen, happen tomorrow. But the larger side of me, the more sensible one, screamed at me to run while I still had the chance. 

As I arrived back at my desk, my thoughts immediately muddled when I spotted Levi in his office standing near the window where the sunlight filtered in. He looked surprisingly casual, in nothing but a charcoal grey dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up revealing his muscled forearms. The collar of his shirt had been left open, showing off his smooth, alabaster skin. My eyes traced the contours of his face as they dragged upward from his thick neck to his strong jawline, the sharp point of his chin to the way his fuller bottom lip pouted slightly. The narrow point of his perfectly sculpted nose and then those sharp, blade-like eyes that never failed to slice through me whenever he so much as glanced at me from across a room. 

My heart was thundering, racing in my chest and I could just vaguely recall Jean's warning from only minutes ago. "_I know how it feels to have your emotions toyed with by someone like Levi._" My eyes continued their journey until I reached the top of his head that was covered with sleek, raven hair that I just wanted to run my fingers through while I got lost in those eyes of his. Levi was quite literally, the most perfect human specimen I'd ever seen. Perhaps it was just my lovesick heart conquering my thoughts but It was how I honestly felt. Levi was gorgeous and yet he was settling for something like me. No, that idea didn't fly with me. There was no way he could possibly feel the same way for me. I wasn't beautiful or glamorous or anything that Levi was normally used to and I had finally come to accept this fact. Levi was just too far out of my reach and I'd been a fool for thinking he could ever love someone like me.

\- ◆ -

Much like Jean had said, when Saturday evening rolled around, Levi had called me and insisted I let him pick me up himself. No fancy town cars or chauffeurs. Just Levi and I, alone, in his sleek black Lamborghini with those infuriating butterfly doors. Mikasa and my dad had tried to probe me and pump information out of me when I told them I was going out for the evening. My dad teased me about making sure I introduced him to my mysterious 'date' and Mikasa was being a mother hen, as usual. She tried to figure out who it was I going out with on her own, throwing out random names of guys I worked with at the office but I smugly kept my lips sealed shut. The last thing I needed was Mikasa giving me grief if she ever knew I was going out with Levi Ackerman of all people. It was no small secret that Mikasa absolutely loathed Levi when she first started for Survey Corps but her 'dislike' of my boss seemed to lessen, if only just slightly, over the past couple of months she'd worked there. Even she had to admit that she respected Levi's work ethic.

I made Levi promise to pick me up a block away from my house purposely. He protested heatedly at first but after he realized that my threat to not go out with him at all if he didn't agree to this one condition was serious, he stopped protesting although only reluctantly. After I checked myself over in the mirror in my bathroom for what felt like the thousandth time, I deemed my outfit good enough and headed out for my date with Levi. I was a giant mess of nerves and anxiety all rolled into one tight ball as I left my house that chilly late march evening. I walked down the block, carrying my jacket with me over my arm and apprehension knotting tightly in my gut. I wasn't sure if my nervousness was due to excitement, dread or both. I wasn't exactly sure why I felt so severely under-dressed for this date. Levi had specifically told me not to wear anything too fancy but nice and I went with the safe choice of just a simple but casual [button up](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=151907486) with the sleeves rolled up, top buttons open and dark wash jeans and combat boots. If I was being honest, I felt like I looked like I was going out to a club or a bar with my friends but the reality of the situation was I was going on a first date, to dinner, with my boss, who I was head over heels for.

Maybe it was the lack of me wearing my glasses that was giving me such a sense of insecurity. I decided against wearing contacts as well since it was pretty common knowledge now that I had heterochromia and Levi never seemed to have much trouble because of his eyes when it came to being in public. I was taking a huge step, really trying to come out of my shell by doing this and I was desperately hoping that everything Jean told me at lunch the day before wouldn't happen on this date. I didn't want to be another notch on Levi's bed post, another story he told to whoever it was he bragged about fucking to the likes of Farlan Church. I didn't want to end up being another 'Jean' to him. Using me whenever he wanted and then throwing me away afterwards after he'd gotten his satisfaction. 

I could see Levi's car coming into view as I continued to walk down the block. Surprisingly, he met me halfway by slowly cruising up to the sidewalk where I stopped and waited for him to park the car so I could get in. When his car finally came to a stop, my heart was pounding in my ears and I hesitated to open the passenger side door to get in. He rolled the window on the passenger's side door down and I bent forward slightly to see Levi sitting in the driver's seat, one hand casually on the steering wheel, the other reaching for the dark sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He slid the sunglasses down his nose slowly, peering at me over the rim of the frames and my heart nearly stopped when my eyes met his. They had such an effect on me and I hated myself even more for allowing my knees to go all weak just from a single glance. 

"Hi," I found myself greeting him with a shy smile as I dropped my gaze from his and shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. 

"Hey, brat." Levi greeted me in return and I felt warmth blossom in my chest at the tender tone he used. "Well, are you just going to stand there all evening and freeze your ass off or are you going to get in?" I noted the lack of sarcasm Levi was using as a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. It wouldn't be the first time in these past few weeks seeing that barely-there flash of a near full smile that had me nearly breathless. 

I finally managed to move my feet forward and I quickly got into the passenger's side of Levi's expensive car. It was just as immaculately clean as the last time I'd been inside it and I made sure to keep my hands situated strictly in my lap after I had put my jacket in the backseat of Levi's car. I wouldn't need it for awhile since the inside of his car was nice and toasty and Levi had heated seats as well. _Rich people._

With just one glance my way, Levi made sure I was all situated before he pulled away from the curb and we sped off toward the city. We drove in mostly silence, which I wasn't sure if I was grateful for or not. This left me alone with my previous thoughts and my mind drifted back to my conversation with Jean and afternoon before. His words rang in my ears like a broken record and I hadn't even noticed that I was practically wringing my hands together nervously in my lap until I felt a cold hand squeeze them gently. The sudden contact made me jump in my seat slightly as I blinked up at Levi. He had his eyes focused on the road ahead of us and I was silently grateful that those eyes that could undo me with just a look weren't currently situated on me because I think I might have fallen apart right then and there. 

"Eren," he spoke softly, as if afraid he'd spook me if he spoke too loudly. "Calm down. You're starting to make me nervous, you shit." 

I couldn't help the breathless laugh that bubbled up out of me as Levi said that. That was something I would have thought impossible. The ever confident King of Mean nervous on a first date? I could hardly imagine Levi being the emotional mess I was on the inside but as he squeezed my hand a little tighter, I noticed the slight tremble in it when he finally pulled it away from mine. 

"Your hands are freezing." I decided to comment on his hands rather than bring up my own nervousness. Hopefully my poor attempt at small talk would help me calm down some.

"Well, you know what they say. 'Cold hands, warm heart.'" 

I arched a skeptical brow in his direction and this time, Levi did fully smile. It was strange seeing his lips curve upward for a change, the show of perfectly white teeth all straight and camera ready and yet there was a surprising ease in which he smiled, as if it were effortless and he smiled like this all the time. His smile has a small sigh escaping me as I stared at him in wonder for a moment or two before I realized what I was doing. When I forced myself to look away from the spectacle, I felt my cheeks warm with heat and my heart was just a fluttering mess in my chest. 

"So, where are we going?" 

Levi's smile melted into nothing more than a smirk as he kept his eyes frontwards, "Don't worry about it." 

"But I do worry about it." 

"Eren." Levi warned. 

"Levi." I mocked back. 

"Tch, fine. We're going to a little restaurant in the city called Mitras." 

"Mitras?" I parroted. "What kind of restaurant is it?"

"Like I said, don't worry about it." 

I pouted at him childishly when he refused to elaborate further on where we were going but Levi wouldn't budge. Instead, he kept changing the subject and things started becoming a little more casual and relaxed as we exchanged our usual sarcastic banter with one another. It was comforting to know that Levi wasn't acting particularly different from how he behaved around me in the office, the only noticeable difference was that every now and again he would genuinely smile and each time he did I felt myself deeper and deeper in love with him. By the time we arrived at our destination, I felt a little drunk on Levi's smiles and smirks and the occasional breathy laugh that accompanied them.

Surprisingly, despite the name, Mitras was an oddly simple looking restaurant. It had a red brick face with white french doors and a moderately sized Neon sign that read 'Mitras' on the front in slanted cursive. There didn't seem to be a valet of any kind which only comforted me more since obviously not the five star restaurant I hoped Levi wouldn't bring me to in the end. Levi parked his car in a near full parking lot, grumbling a bit when he couldn't find suitable parking in the first ten minutes and the whole thing was rather endearing. In this kind of situation, watching Levi as he cursed profanities at some guy who took the spot he had been waiting for, it was almost as if Levi was just a normal guy and not the Editor-in-Chief of New York's top Fashion Bible. Eventually, Levi found a parking space and he only gave me a warning look when I chuckled at his struggles to find a spot.

We both got out of his sleek car and I grabbed my jacket from the backseat before Levi locked the doors. I rounded the back of Levi's car to find him already waiting for me but I had to pause and just appreciate what Levi was wearing at the moment. Now that I saw Mitras for myself, it didn't look like the type of place to wear an expensive suit, in fact it seemed like a pretty casual place on the outside. I had spent all day worrying about what clothes I should wear and here Levi was standing in all his glory [wearing](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/51/3b/14/513b14c4a1ec5af4804c4c5846a6748e.jpg) nothing but a simple black v-neck t-shirt underneath a high-collared black peacoat and dark slim-fitting jeans with a pair of slightly worn lace up ankle boots. In the setting sunlight I could see Levi's hair was not in it's usual off-center park, in fact it looked as though Levi had just ran a hand through his hair a couple of times and deemed it worthy. It was slightly messy, unlike the usual put-together Levi I was used to seeing in the office, even though I'd spent several weekends at his apartment and I'd seen him at his most casual, I'd never seen him purposely go out in public looking so relaxed and just, well... _casual_. That word was almost nonexistent in Levi's vocabulary and yet here he was, wearing a simple outfit and he _still_ somehow managed to look like a god damn model in disguise from the paparazzi. 

"You coming or what, brat?" 

The sound of Levi's impatient voice brought me out of my reverie as I realized I had probably just been gawking at him for what felt like several minutes. I swallowed dryly before hurrying to Levi's side where he gave me a quick once-over through the lens of his dark sunglasses. He seemed pleased with what I was wearing, if the subtle nod of approval was anything to go by. Levi led the way toward the entrance of the restaurant and I was hit by the most amazing smell as soon as we walked in. I was definitely surprised to see the interior of Mitras because it was nothing at all like the clean and neat outside. It was poorly lit but I suppose the dim lighting added to the appeal of the place. The walls were all made of brick, much like the outside but upon those walls were all kinds of things from paintings of vineyards, to a Tuscan sunsets. There were various things hanging from the walls and lined on the shelves, giving it an almost homey feel. The hostess, a young woman with long brown hair and warm brown eyes greeted us cheerfully. What didn't surprise me was the fact that Levi made reservations. Of course. 

We were led through the dining room that was nearly full, which didn't surprise me at all considering it was late saturday afternoon and there were several couples and families occupying most of the tables. Our table, however, was more of a booth meant for privacy with high backs to block out any prying eyes situated near a small stage with an old piano. There were candles and a bottle of wine already waiting for us and Levi thanked our host who shot us both a friendly smile before she was off. The table was nothing extravagantly fancy, just a simple round table with a plain white table cloth and two sets of dishware with a single candle in the center. It was all rather old-fashioned and romantic and for a moment, I couldn't help but wonder if Levi intentionally did all this for my sake. 

Levi slid into one side of the booth and to my surprise, he didn't seem to make a fuss about 'cleanliness' or anything of the sort. In fact, he seemed rather relaxed and once I had slid into the booth opposite of him, I arched a curious brow at his odd behavior. 

"Weird." I mused out loud. 

"What is?" he asked as he slipped his coat and sunglasses off, finally revealing those eyes that never failed to ensnare me. 

"You sat down without cleaning off your seat first and you haven't even brought out your handsanitizer once." 

Levi snorted softly through his nose and that little smile was back on his face, "I've been coming to this restaurant for years. The owner and the staff know me already and when I made reservations for tonight, they made sure everything was already to my liking." 

"Ah," I nodded in mock understanding. "So, you've basically got the V.I.P. treatment here." 

"Does that bother you?" 

"Not really." I sighed. "I mean you're Levi Ackerman. It would be strange if you didn't have some sort of influence even at a place like this." 

Our conversation was interrupted by our waiter coming by to ask us if we'd like water or anything else to drink. Levi refused the water, saying he was fine with the wine before dinner but I on the other hand, ordered a lemon water for the sake of having something non-alcoholic to drink in the meantime. The beginning of the evening started out pretty casually. Levi and I chatted while he sipped on his red wine and I took occasional sips from my own wine glass. I wasn't really a wine and champagne kind of guy but Levi didn't seem to mind that my wine glass was mostly still full from the moment he poured me my first glass to now. We ordered our dinner, Levi ordered some type of soup that smelled way too good to be real and just to annoy him, I ordered a type of Ravioli dish. Levi gave me a dirty look when I placed my order and I couldn't help but laugh. I had to admit that this was nice. All the warning Jean had given me the day before seemed to evaporate from my mind. This date was nothing like how Jean said it would be and for the first time that evening, I was glad I hadn't chickened out and stood Levi up. 

"So, how did you stumble across this little gem of a restaurant anyway? It hardly seems like the type of place you'd willingly come to." I asked him about halfway through our meal as I took a small sip from my wine glass. I was only on my second glass but already I could feel a comfortable warmth settling around my body thanks to the alcohol. 

"Well," he cleared his throat. "When I was first starting out at Recon, I didn't really know anyone in the city. I was just some kid from Jersey with a bad attitude who smoked way too much." 

"Sounds like you haven't changed much." I commented with a smirk and Levi returned it with a hard nudge to my foot underneath the table. 

"Anyway, it was one of those days when Hanji just wouldn't stop pestering the shit out of me over joining her for lunch at some new place she discovered by accident. By then, I'd already learned not to trust Hanji for shit so I'd flat out refused but the crazy woman ended up dragging me here anyway. Long story short, even though I came here reluctantly at first I ended up really liking the place and I've been coming back here ever since." he swallowed the last spoonful of his soup before he set his utensils down and wiped his mouth with the napkin that was folded in his lap. 

"Well, that's not the exciting story I was hoping to hear." I teased, scooping up the last of my stuffed ravioli. 

"Brat." Levi smiled and the soft candlelight illuminated his eyes perfectly as he stared at me from across the table. Suddenly, my stomach was doing somersaults again and I couldn't find it in myself to finish the last of my dinner anymore. Not when Levi was looking at me with those eyes of his. 

As if one cue, the soft buzz of chatter around the restaurant slowly died and all eyes were now glued to the small stage where a young woman with long dark hair and a glittery gown sat at the old piano and she played the first few notes of a slow song. The sound of the piano was mellowing and I found myself engrossed with the young woman's voice as she started up the first verse in a soft, sultry tone. [(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nr0PU0d07c)

  
_'♪ One look and I'm done_  
One glance from your eyes  
and I'm captivated ♪'

 _'♪ The taste of your skin_  
the warmth of your hungry lips has  
me so taken and I  
love the way you can make me dance  
from miles away ♪' 

_'♪ When I'm with you_  
I'm so sedated  
I'm captivated by you ♪'

I felt my heart speeding up in my chest as I listened to this woman sing exactly what I was feeling, word for word, as if narrating my entire evening with Levi in a song meant just for me. I swallowed around a painful lump in my throat as I realized just how deep in shit I was already. Everything I had told myself before tonight didn't seem to matter anymore. Levi had a way of disarming me completely whenever I was with him alone like this, just the two of us.

  
_'♪ You're just like the wind_  
cuz everything moves when you're around it  
The sun is just like the sound of  
your voice in the morning when you  
light my world up and I  
love the way you can make me dance  
from miles away ♪'

 _'♪ When I'm with you_  
I'm never jaded  
I'm captivated by you ♪'  


I felt something cool settled on top of my hand on the table top and I looked back at Levi to see him just staring at me from across the table, his hand squeezing mine in a similar way he'd done in the car earlier only this time I thought my heart might just stop at the way the candlelight danced across his sharp features and glittered in those spectacular eyes of his. He wasn't looking at the stage or the woman performing, wasn't staring at anyone else but me. Just me.

 _'♪ Oh, I'll never stop believing_  
in this crazy love we're leading, oh  
Sugar, hold me close and  
make me sweeter,  
I need ya,  
I love you... ♪'

As I stared back at him, I took the time to really notice the look in his eyes. The soft, tender way he looked back at me and the clear open look he gave me. It reminded me so much of that night we spent together in Paris, the charged air between us, thick and heavy with an unspoken need to just be closer to him. I felt his hand move so that his fingers tickled the bottom of my palm, opening it up and lightly lacing our fingers together in a quiet request. I felt like my heart would burst at any moment, it was beating so uncontrollably fast that I worried Levi would be able to hear it from across the table, or anyone within a twenty foot radius for that matter.

"Eren, I-" Levi spoke so softly that it was barely above a whisper. 

I held my breath in anticipation, my heart couldn't possibly take anymore of this. I could practically see the words forming on his lips, ready to spill over at any moment but as I waited and waited, the words I'd been desperately hoping to hear these last couple of months since that trip to Paris never came.

'♪ So, please, show me that smile  
Make me laugh for just a little while  
and breathe near one breath  
I only need one to fill the emptiness ♪'

 _'♪ and I love the way_  
you can make me dance  
from miles away  
It's been so long  
but now I've waited  
and I'm captivated... ♪'  


His mouth parted to say the next words but the spell was broken when the restaurant erupted in applause and suddenly that tender, open look Levi had in his eyes was gone and he was unlacing our fingers and retracting his hand back across the table. I wanted nothing more than to reach out for his hand again and beg him to say those words I'd been dying to hear, for him to confirm that all of this wasn't just one-sided and that I wasn't the only one with so much to lose in this game but my body wouldn't move. I was forced to watch as Levi floundered for a save on his part.

"I-," for the first time since I'd met Levi, he looked lost and unsure of himself. "I hope you had a nice evening." came his lame excuse and I deflated in disappointment. 

We sat there for a few more minutes in tense silence, Levi polishing off the last of his glass of wine and me sitting there probably looking a little more than dejected. I don't really know what I was expecting Levi to say in that moment of passion but I know that it wasn't 'I hope you had a nice evening.' Honestly, I was starting to wonder what I had expected out of this evening at all. It ended up being nothing like how Jean said it would be, although the expensive wine was something I had to give Jean credit for calling but that was just typical for Levi. He didn't push me to drink more than my share of wine and he certainly didn't make me feel pressured in any way. It was a nice, simple date and I don't know why I felt so disappointed. This is what I wanted, wasn't it? What I had hoped for? Yet, I couldn't understand why I felt so let down.

\- ◆ -

 ** _Levi's pov_**

The drive back to Eren's was tense and ridiculously awkward. I knew I had fucked up back at the restaurant, nearly spilling my guts to Eren on the first god damn date. I don't know what got into me, really. One minute, we were talking and exchanging sarcastic remarks to one another and having a good time and then the next minute Eren just looked so fucking gorgeous in the candlelight sitting less than two feet in front of me and my body had acted of it's own accord taking his hand in mine and lacing our fingers together. It had felt so right in that moment, the action seemed natural, comfortable. His warm hand slotted with mine perfectly and damn those large doe eyes of his staring at me with so much expectation in his eyes that I'd almost let those three words slip. 

_'I love you.'_

I guess in truth, the reason I hesitated to tell him was because I was afraid. Eren is everything I never knew I needed or wanted. He was smart, independent, capable of taking care of himself and he knows exactly what he wants in life and goes for it. He can be a whirl-wind of emotions sometimes, but I found that passionate side of him so amazing. When I looked at it realistically, we were complete opposites. Different as day and night and yet I've never felt more complete or whole than when I'm with him. So, I wanted to take things slow with Eren, do things the right way for the first time in my life because Eren wasn't just another one of my one-night stands that I wined and dined just to get them in my bed. He was different, special. I didn't want Eren for one night, I wanted him for a lifetime. 

I glanced at Eren from the corner of my eye as we continued to drive. He was oddly quiet as he stared out the passenger's side window. I was never good with these sorts of things and I'd never hated my lack of social grace more than now. I wanted to say something to break this tense silence but nothing I thought of was good enough. Finally, I just said the first thing that came to my mind. 

"Your Birthday is on Monday, isn't it?" 

That seemed to get Eren's attention as he finally stopped staring out the window and looked at me in slight surprise. 

"uh, yeah, it is." 

I could only hum in response as we fell right back into the awkward silence from before, only now I was truly at a loss for what to say or do. I've never felt so unsure of myself and everything about Eren just had me a wreck. I was used to knowing exactly what I wanted to say at all times, hell, I was known for not having a brain-to-mouth filter and just saying whatever came to my mind even if it was rude as fuck. That's who I am and yet when it comes to Eren, I'm tongue tied. 

"Levi, what are we doing?" Eren's voice finally broke the silence. 

"What do you mean? I'm driving you home, obviously." 

"No! I mean-" he gave a frustrated sigh and as we turned the corner on his block, I parked the car by the curb and turned to look at him. 

"Eren, what-" 

"What are we doing? I mean, you and I, what the hell are we thinking doing any of this?" Eren looked about ready to cry as his breathing became heavy and he ran a shaky hand through his hair causing it to stick up in all directions. 

"Hey, calm down and look at me, Eren." I grabbed his hand and held it tightly in mine, waiting for him to look up at me. When he finally did, his eyes were beautifully glassy with unshed tears and he seemed to be searching my face for something. I cupped one of his cheeks in my other hand and resisted the urge to kiss him stupidly because fuck knows I've been craving those lips since the first time I got a taste of them a week ago. Soft, sweet and tasting of Eren. Although, I'm sure that if I kissed him now he'd probably taste like a hint of his dinner and the red wine we had. Still, I couldn't help but stare at those lips anyway. 

"Levi, why are you doing this?" he asked in a voice so small and quiet that I almost didn't hear his question. 

"Why?" I parroted. "Isn't it obvious?" 

"No, it's not." he pulled away from my touch and I immediately craved to have him back in my arms, noses nearly brushing and his soft, warm breath on my cheek. "I don't know why you're putting in so much effort just for me when you could have anyone you wanted. Why waste your evening with your dorky assistant when you could have be out with one of your supermodel fuck buddies?" 

I sat back in my seat and just stared at Eren for a moment, at a complete loss for words. I didn't understand where all of this was coming from all of a sudden. I thought I had made my intentions pretty clear all this time but apparently I was wrong. We both just stared at each other for awhile, the only noise was the sound of the engine to my car and Eren's soft breathing. When the silence dragged on for too long, Eren eventually turned in his seat and started to get out of the car. 

"Thanks for tonight." he said without looking back at me and I felt myself panic as I watched him shut the car door behind him. 

I immediately turned the engine off and snatched the keys from the ignition before I opened my door and made to go after Eren who was already walking down the sidewalk toward his house. I slammed the door behind me and hurried after him as he kept walking faster and faster. 

"What do you want me to say, Eren?" I asked him as I chased after him. The night air was cold and my breath came out in thick puffs of vapor, stinging my lungs as I inhaled.

"Tell me that this was all just a mistake, Levi. That all of this is just some kind of joke." 

"I can't." 

Suddenly, he stopped and whirled around to face me. Tears streaked his rosy cheeks and his thick lashes glittered in the streetlamp lighting. His breathing was uneven and he hiccuped a sob before he angrily wiped at his eyes. 

"You have to!" he all but yelled. "Because if you don't, then I'll start to believe that you actually-"

"That I what?" I spat angrily. "That I might actually be _attracted_ to you? That I actually might have fucking feelings for you, is that it, Eren?" 

"Yes, okay! Yes!" his voice cracked and he was crying again, only this time he faced his back to me and I couldn't bare to see the way his shoulders shook both from his silent sobs and from the bitter cold nipping at him through the fabric of his shirt. 

"Eren." I said softly as I drew closer to him and eventually just wrapped my arms tightly around his torso, hugging his back and pressing my cheek against his shoulder blade.

"I just don't understand why you're wasting your time with me, Levi. I'm just your assistant, fuck- you didn't even want me to be at first." he laughed bitterly and I felt my heart plummet at his words. I pulled my chest flush against his back and hugged him so tightly that I worried I might just snap his spine in two but right now, I just needed him to be closer, so much more closer. I needed to feel him against me, to know this was real.

"Because, I-" fuck it, I needed to tell Eren exactly how I felt about him. "Because I love you, Eren." I gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly and I could feel his body tense against mine but I wasn't about to stop there. I was shit at expressing my feelings but now that the dam was already broken, there was no stopping it. "And you're not just my assistant, not to me. You're so much more than that and you don't even fucking realize it." 

"Levi-"

"You don't even realize just how crazy you make me, so don't fucking stand there and tell me you're a waste of my time when you don't even know just how much you effect me. You're not the only one with their heart on the line here, Eren." 

This was it. I finally told Eren everything I felt about him and it was all out on the table now for everyone to see. I felt Eren shaking in my arms, but whether it was from his sobs or from the cold air I couldn't tell exactly. 

"I want to believe you." he whispered. "I want to believe you so badly but I'm just so fucking terrified of having my heart broken because-because I've never felt this way about anyone and if I turn out to be another one of your one night stands that you sleep with and then never call again, I don't think I could handle that." 

I swallowed past a painful lump in my throat as I slowly released Eren from my tight embrace. "Eren, that won't-"

"How can I trust you, Levi? How can I trust that if I let myself be taken by you that I won't wake up to a cold empty bed one morning when you've finally gotten bored with me?" 

I didn't have an answer for that because it was true. I didn't have a way to prove to Eren that my love was for real. I only had my words and at this point, they seemed powerless. For the first time in my life, I regretted ever building up a reputation as a playboy. Hanji's warning of my reputation coming to bite me in the ass rang in my ears and she was fucking right. It hurt to know that Eren didn't think he could trust me, that he thought I could ever get bored with him when he was the only person I would willingly and happily spend the rest of my life with together. Eren sniffled, wiped away more tears with the back of his hand and threw his head back in another bitter, humorless laugh. 

"You can't even deny it, can you?" 

No. That's not it. That's not why I can't answer him. 

"Maybe it's better that this ended before it started. We were fooling ourselves thinking that we could ever make this work. We're just too different." 

Everything suddenly felt wrong. Nothing Eren said was registering in my head and all I could do was stand there and watch his back as he started to walk away again. My heart was screaming for him, aching to run after him, take him in my arms and just kiss the hell out of him and tell him he was being a moron but for once I knew that he was right. We were just too different but that didn't mean jack shit to me. I didn't care if Eren was a god damn moon martian from outer space or if he was fifteen meter tall man eating giant. I will always want Eren.

"Goodnight, Levi. I'll see you at work on Monday." 

As I stood there, watching as Eren got further and further away from me, watched as he slipped right through my fingers I realized that for the first time in my life my heart was breaking and I felt like nothing in my life would ever be right again. Not without him, not without Eren in my life. It terrified me to know that I could want someone- _need_ someone so badly that I felt like I wouldn't be able to live without them. He was more important to me than even myself and that was saying something. If it's not him, then there's no point in anything. If I could just keep him by my side, no matter how much we hurt each other, if those scars we leave on one another meant we could never forget each other for as long as we lived I'd be satisfied with just that. Loving him so madly and recklessly like this, to lose all my sense of reasoning and rationality, I knew that I'd never love anyone this way ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is extremely heavy on the feels and the insecurities that Eren feels about himself.  
> I feel like through out this story, I haven't really displayed Eren's insecurities quite enough or in the way I imagine he is in my head and with this chapter, it gave me the perfect opportunity to show that side of Eren. 
> 
> We've all seen confident, sassy and witty Eren but I've never really shown him in this sort of light.  
> This is how I imagine Eren feels behind all the usual sarcastic wit.  
> So, yeah. Sorry in advance for breaking out the feels in this one but it's a chapter I've been wanting to write for some time and I really wanted to portray Eren's vulnerable side as well as Levi's.
> 
> Also, before anyone jumps on Jean's shit. Remember that he was only trying to help Eren, even if his advice did end up backfiring a bit. Soooo, I hope no one gives our Jean-bo too much shit because he was only trying to be a bro!


	26. Need You more than Dope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> _“Fashion has to reflect who you are, what you feel at the moment, and where you’re going.”_ — **Pharrell Williams**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, this chapter was kind of an oopsies.  
> It wasn't supposed to happen and chapter 26 was supposed to be the final chapter for HCL but,  
> Levi had other plans in mind and basically he hijacked my fic.  
> So, yeah. Enjoy this sorta mini in-between chapter that's basically just LeviHan brotp moments galore and yeah, just fucking feels everywhere. 
> 
> (Song used for this chapter was **[Dope by Lady Gaga](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Xbv3be-yM)**. I don't particularly care for the song itself but the lyrics just fit Levi's situation so perfectly, I couldn't resist using it for this chapter.)

**_Levi's p.o.v._**

I didn't know how long I'd been slumped against a wall in my apartment, ass sitting on the cold hardwood floor wearing the same clothes I'd been wearing when I got home from my date with Eren that night. I knew I had a bottle of Vodka in one hand and bottle of nearly finished Jack in the other but otherwise, my mind was a warm, fuzzy mess. It was probably really stupid of me to throw a tantrum like this and get shit-faced as soon as I got home just so I could forget about being rejected by the only person I've ever loved. I was a thirty-three year old, grown ass man for fuck's sake and here I was acting like some depressed college brat getting drunk to forget my problems and my worries. 

If Eren were to see me now, he'd probably jump on my shit. But that was just the problem. Eren wasn't here to see me in the current wrecked state I was in. I would probably never get another chance to be with Eren alone in my apartment like before when we'd watch cheesy black and whites movies and order take out and just _be_ together, enjoying each other's company in the quiet and privacy of my apartment loft. I couldn't even clearly make out whatever song was playing on my iPod as I took another swig from the new bottle of Vodka I'd just opened. Everything just felt so wrong and I didn't know how the fuck to fix it.

  
_'♪ Corks off, it's on_  
The party's just begun  
I promise that drink is my last one ♪' 

_'♪ I know I fucked up again_  
cause I lost my only friend  
God forgive my sins  
Don't leave me, I-  
oh, I'll hate myself until I die ♪'  


I've never felt so god damn alone in my entire life. The thought of never being able to touch Eren again, to kiss his lips until they were swollen and red like I had done that evening in the office, to hear his sweet voice desperately calling my name as he clung to me like I was the last lifeline for him to hold onto. Like he wouldn't be able to live without hanging onto me.

  
_'♪ My heart would break without you_  
Might not awake without you  
Been hurting low from living high for so long 

_'♪ I'm sorry and I love you_  
Sing with me 'Bell Bottom Blue'  
I'll keep on searching for an answer  
cause I need you more than dope... 

_'♪ I need you more than dope_  
need you more than dope  
I need you more than dope  
need you more than dope ♪'  


I didn't know how I was going to make through monday, let alone through this saturday night if I didn't drink myself into a coma. Which, didn't sound all that bad when I felt so fucking heartbroken and lost at the moment. Sleeping for god knows how long sounded rather appealing and hopefully when I woke up, Eren would be there by my side and everything would finally be alright. My life would fall into perfect place while I'm sleeping and it'll all be there waiting for me once I wake up... if I wake up. I was so drunk that now I was thinking about how nice falling into a coma would be. Shit. This wasn't like me at all. Still, I couldn't bring myself to stand up from this spot on the floor against the wall where I'd already grown comfortably numb under the influence of alcohol and now I was drunkenly singing along to whatever song was playing, or _trying_ to anyway.

  
_'♪ My heart would break without you_  
Might not awake without you  
Been hurting low from living high for so long ♪' 

_'♪ I'm sorry and I love you_  
Sing with me 'Bell Bottom Blue'  
I'll keep on searching for an answer  
Cause I need you more than dope...♪' 

_'♪ I need you more than Dope_  
Need you more than dope  
I need you more  
need you more than...  
I need you more than dope ♪'  


I was so engrossed in my drunk karaoke session that I almost didn't hear the pounding and yelling coming from my front door. Keyword being; Almost. There was no way in hell I could ever ignore or miss Hanji's unmistakable shrieking coming from the other side of my apartment door.

"Levi! Open this door right now or I'm breaking it down! Don't think I _WON'T_!!"

As I scrambled to my feet, I felt my stomach lurch uncomfortably and I had to swallow down a mouthful of acidic bile with a grimace as I forced my vomit back down. I don't care how drunk I was. I was not about to puke all over my nice fucking clean floors. I think I must have blacked out momentarily during the distance between my bedroom and my front door because I do not recall how I managed to get walk straight let alone stand up on my own two feet with falling flat on my fucking face but next thing I knew I was throwing my front door open and hissing at the bright hallway light that poured into my dark apartment momentarily blinding me. 

"The fuck do you want, shitty glasses?" I slurred, doing my best to glare in the direction I assumed Hanji to be standing in but probably failing.

"Oh boy," I heard Hanji sigh before I felt a tug at my shirt sleeve. 

Hanji pushed her way past me, which wasn't exactly hard in my current inebriated state. A gust of wind could probably knock me right on my ass if one were to randomly swoop by right now. I let her lead me back into my apartment where she threw us both down on my couch and forced me to look at her by grabbing my face in one hand as she squished my cheeks together. All I could do was stare back at her blurred figure and do my best to stop myself from puking all over her. Although if I did end up blowing chunks all over Hanji I'd probably laugh about it for ages later. 

"Alright, short stuff. You're obviously too drunk to clearly tell me what happened but I want you to try your best." 

"Wait I minute," I snapped. "What're you even doin' here? Get the fuck out." 

"You texted me about two hours ago telling me you fucked up and then proceeded to ignore all my calls. So I did what any worried friend would do and I drove to your apartment on ice slick roads at 11pm to come and make sure you were okay, you angry little leprechaun. Now, tell Mama Hanji what it is you 'fucked up' exactly." 

"Tch!" I pulled my face out of her grasp and halfheartedly tried to push her away from me. I really wasn't in any mood to deal with Hanji and her lectures but she was here and I would be a damned liar if I said I wasn't grateful for not being alone right now.

In the end, I spilled everything to Hanji like some kind of unstoppable form of word vomit instead of actual vomit. I told her about what happened between Eren and I in the office that one late evening about a week ago, told her about how I asked him out for dinner, told her about said dinner and then proceeded to tell her about how everything went horribly wrong while trying to swallow around the painful lump in my throat and trying to fight back tears. It was pathetic, for me to feel like breaking and crying of all things over everything that's happened between Eren and I. In fact, I was sure I'd finally hit rock bottom if me laying with my head in Hanji's lap while she stroked my hair and tried to sooth me through my violent sobbing was anything to go off of. I don't think I've ever let myself be so vulnerable in front of anyone like this before. I felt so bare and open and it was terrifying but I was grateful that for once, Hanji shut her big mouth and just _listened_ for a change. I may give her a lot of shit and complain about her eccentric nature most times but in truth, Hanji has always been here for me through my toughest times and I was fucking grateful for her. She put up with my bitter, grumpy ass when she could just walk away and wash her hands of me at any given time but she chooses to stay and baby my dumb ass, like now for instance. 

"Oh, Levi." She cooed softly. Her fingers were still threading through my hair and I had finally stopped sobbing. 

"I don't know what the fuck to do, Hanji." I groaned into her lap, burying my face in the side of her thigh to hide my surely tear-swollen eyes. 

"Yes, you do." I did my best to give her a glare from my spot on her lap but I'm sure in my current state, I probably just looked more like an angry wet cat than anything. "You have to tell him, Levi." 

I furrowed my brows in confusion, "Tell him wha-"

I didn't get to finish my question before there was another firm knock at my door causing both Hanji and I to fall dead silent as we stared at the white paint of my front door. I was haphazardly dumped from Hanji's lap as she suddenly jumped to her feet and dashed to open the door, only to reveal the one face I didn't want to see at the moment. Erwin fucking Smith strode into my dark apartment, wearing a simple but tightly fitted blue v-neck t-shirt underneath a cognac colored peacoat and a pair of faded and well-worn blue jeans. To finish the look off, the bastard even had wind-swept hair and his face was flushed as if he'd practically ran all the way here. 

"I came as quickly as I could. How is he?" Erwin asked as soon as he stepped through the door.

"Well..." Hanji squeaked but before she could say anything else, I had grabbed the nearest object to me which unfortunately was one of Ravioli's mouse toys and threw it at the back of Erwin's head. It bounced off his head with a light jingle and Erwin whirled around with his mouth hanging half open in surprise. 

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here, Smith?" 

"I called him, obviously." Hanji explained while holding her hands out in front of her in a defensive manner. "We were both really worried about you, Levi." 

"Bullshit!" I hissed.

"Levi, calm down. I'm here because Hanji asked me to-" 

I didn't let him finish as I grabbed the next nearest object to me which happened to be a crystal candle holder and threw it at Erwin with a fierce accuracy that I should not possess in my drunken state. The big, blond bastard managed to dodge it with ease, taking two quick strides to the left so that the candle holder collided with my kitchen island instead, shattering against the granite loudly. 

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down, you bastard! It's your fault all this shit happened in the first place!" 

Erwin and Hanji exchanged confused looks for a moment, "What are you talking about, Levi?" 

"You know what I'm talking about," I spat at Erwin from my place on the couch. "You fucked my assistant over your desk and you have the nerve to act like you don't know what the fuck I'm talking about. If you hadn't led Eren on, I wouldn't be sitting here feeling so shitty and sorry for myself!" 

Hanji's mouth fell open at my revelation and she looked over at Erwin with a wide eyed expression, "You _slept_ with Eren!?" she all but screamed. "Why would you do that??!" 

Erwin ran a hand down his face and sighed heavily, "It was one time and it was _months_ ago! I'm not going to lie and say I didn't find Eren very attractive because I did and it just sort of... happened." 

"Wait, wait, wait! This happened _months_ ago??? And I'm just NOW hearing about this!?" 

I promptly tuned Hanji's outraged ranting out and zeroed in on Erwin as best I could in my intoxicated state. "Fucker," I slurred. "You _knew_ how I felt about him and you still slept with him." 

"I didn't know you felt _that_ strongly for him, Levi. Honestly. If I did, I never would have-" 

"It's too late for that now, Erwin. Eren doesn't want me and he made that very clear tonight. So, you can go back to your fancy house and sleep soundly knowing you have a chance with Eren now that I'm out of the picture." I said bitterly, doing my best to keep my voice cold and even despite how desperately it wanted to crack and break at my own words.

Erwin seemed angered by my words, which frankly he had no right to be. I should be the angry one here. 

"Levi, it was never my intention to take Eren from you. What happened between the two of us was purely on a whim, and Eren and I both agreed that it was unprofessional of us and that it was only going to be a one time thing. There is nothing going on between Eren and I and there never will be." 

"Oh, is Eren not _good_ enough for you now? Is that it, Erwin?" I realized that now I was just saying whatever came to my mind, anything to pick some sort of fight with Erwin who was not having any of my shit. 

Erwin only shook his head with a sigh and turned to Hanji who still looked rather hurt that she wasn't aware of any of this 'Erwin/Eren' business. Good. Now she knew how I felt, if even just a little tiny bit. 

"There's no point in me talking to him when he's drunk like this." I heard Erwin say to Hanji who sighed in return. 

"It's probably best if you left anyway. He obviously doesn't want to see you right now but I'll try and talk to him." 

"Thanks. I feel bad for just leaving you alone to take care of him but you're the only one who can handle him when he gets like this." 

"No worries, boss-man! Hanji's got it under control. I'll call Moblit and tell him I'm not coming back and I'll just crash here for the night and make sure our little munchkin doesn't hurt himself." 

Erwin smiled and gave Hanji a little nod of approval before he was finally leaving my apartment. Hanji walked him out and shut the door behind him, locking it before she made her way into my kitchen and helped herself to whatever she liked while getting me a glass of water in the process. 

"Okay, my darling. Drink up and then lets get you to bed." 

I grimaced as she handed me the full glass of water but down it obediently, only stopping once when I thought I was going to throw it all up but it was thankfully only a false alarm. Once I'd emptied the glass, Hanji awkwardly hooked her arms around my torso and tried to help me to my bedroom which I could imagine probably wasn't easy when I was practically two times heavier than her and fighting her the whole way. I wouldn't normally act like such a fussy brat when I'm drunk but then again, I'd never exactly been drunk with a broken heart before so I assumed my pissy attitude was due to that little minor detail. 

Hanji helped me strip out of my clothes from that night, even going so far as to fold them (somewhat) and put them away in their proper place before she dumped me on my much-too-large bed and crawled in with me. I was disgusted with how needy I was acting with Hanji but she was a warm body in a cold bed that I needed in order to know that I wasn't alone and drowning in my own fucking sadness. I didn't fall asleep right away and like a true fucking friend, Hanji stayed with me stroking my hair until my eyes eventually started giving way to drowsiness. 

"Hey, four eyes." I croaked into the sheets with my back facing Hanji as she spooned me from behind. This would have never happened had I been even just the tiniest bit sober but I let it slide in light of the current situation. 

"Hm?" Hanji hummed in response. 

"What did you mean earlier? When you told me I had to tell him." 

Hanji was silent for awhile, making me think that she either didn't hear what I asked or couldn't understand my slurred words. Either one was a high probability but then I felt her sigh softly against the back of my neck, tickling the skin there. 

"Don't worry about that for now, love. Go to sleep and we'll talk about it in the morning while you're puking your guts up in the toilet." she laughed and I grimaced at her words, attempting and succeeding in kicking her underneath the sheets before I yawned tiredly. "Goodnight, Levi. Everything's going to be fine. You'll see." 

I didn't have the energy to process Hanji's words as blackness started to take me into it's comforting embrace. Even in my fuzzy mind, all I could think about was messy brown hair, smooth sun-kissed skin warm underneath my fingertips, dazzling gold and teal colored eyes breaking me apart piece by piece and a sweet voice calling my name like a prayer. And in the end, Eren was all I could think about and see even in my dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Sings Marina and the Diamonds 'I'm a Ruin- "I'll ruin, yeah I'll ruin you~"
> 
> Anywayyyyy, so I felt like there needed to be some type of closure between Levi and Erwin and the whole "Erwin-and-Eren-fucked-that-one-time" situation and yeah, paired with listening to Dope by Lady Gaga eventually this monstrosity was born and I just really, really fucking like this chapter for several reasons. 
> 
> First of all, OOC drunk Levi acting like a giant man baby and throwing himself a pity party.  
> Second of all, Mama Hanji to the rescue!  
> Third of all, LeviHan brotp moments everywhereeeee!!
> 
> So, yeah, y'all got a surprise extra chapter but don't expect it to happen again! Chapter 27 will be the final chapter of HCL and then this baby is done for good! Can't for sure when it'll be up since I plan on making it rather long but all I can say is, look forward to our two dorks finally working out their issues and happy endings!! Thanks for putting up with all this fucking angst, I promise there shall be plenty of fluff (and smut) in the next chapter to make up for all of this! You guys are amazing!
> 
> Also, apologies to my Waifu Paula for hurting her kokoro with this chapter!


	27. Something about You & I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >  
>> 
>> _"If loving fashion is a crime, we plead guilty." \- **Unknown**_  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, guys. The beginning of the end! 
> 
> I had a little help with the smut in this chapter since I was basically blank on what I should have happen but I really liked how it turned out in the end, so here!  
> Have some sexytimes and snuggle times between our short, angry midget and our tall, angry german boy! 
> 
>  
> 
> ~~Daddy kink was requested by my super cute waifu~ ♥~~

Monday came all too quickly in my opinion. I wasn't at all ready to face Levi once I got into the office that morning but I knew I had to eventually. My personal life shouldn't have to affect my professional life and I kept repeating that to myself as I walked into the building that morning. Already, I could see all the strange looks I was getting. By now, though, I'd grown accustomed to getting looked and stared at whenever I was at work. It was a given considering I worked for a Fashion Magazine but this time I knew that I wasn't getting stared at out of appreciation for my outfit that morning. No, these looks were more reminiscent of my very first day here at Recon. Why? Because today I walked into the Survey Corps Publishing building [wearing](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ea/ff/96/eaff9634e3693bf8942ae0719a1bdd09.jpg) a button up flannel shirt underneath a teal green cardigan, worn blue jeans, a slouchy teal colored beanie and a new pair of glasses Mikasa bought for me yesterday that honestly were a little too thick for me but it didn't really matter at this point. I was done pretending to be something I wasn't, which was Levi's fashion-savvy assistant. I walked into the Survey Corp building wearing a pair of worn Doc Martins and an old scarf my mother had given me for my last birthday and I did not care if anyone gave me dirty looks. This was who I was and I was finally able to accept it.

I boarded the elevator and rode it up to the 26th floor, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum and I couldn't help but fuss with the end of my scarf as I waited for the lift to come to a slow and eventually open to that familiar receptionists desk in the front with Horse-face and Krista sitting in their respective corners taking call upon call for everyone in the office. My hands were trembling slightly and I eventually just tightened them into fists to stop the shaking. _'This was just another day at the office, Eren.'_ I had to remind myself as the lift drew closer and closer to my floor. _'Levi is just your boss. You're just his assistant. You're going to act professional and get through this day as if nothing's wrong.'_ That's what I kept telling myself but the reality was that as soon as the number '26' lit up at the top of the lift notifying me that I'd reached my dreaded destination, my stomach felt like it was going to fall out of my ass and my throat suddenly felt dry. 

The doors slowly opened revealing that familiar receptionist desk I'd come to know and I held my breath as I stepped out of the elevator and braced myself for the onslaught of insults and jokes on Jean's part and the questions from Krista on why I was suddenly dressed like the weird college kid who never leaves their dorm. Jean and Krista didn't disappoint, as I'd expected. I was met with a dramatic and quiet honestly, _loud_ gasp from Krista as I walked toward her side of the receptionists desk and a sort of unattractive snort-laugh from Jean as well. 

"Oh my goodness, Eren?" Krista squeaked before she cupped a hand over her open mouth. 

"Just when I thought my morning couldn't get any better," Jean leaned over the desk and flipped the end of my scarf over my shoulder with a smirk. "You walked in looking like something the cat dragged in. Hey, did you-" 

"You cut your hair!!" Krista nearly screeched as she shot out of her seat and reached for my beanie. 

Before I could dodge her attempt, she snatched the hat right off the top of my head which was amazing considering Krista was barely even at the five-foot mark and I was a good foot taller than her give or take an inch. Jean and Krista just stared at me for awhile, taking in my much shorter hairstyle as I ran a hand through the back of it self-consciously. 

"Oh, Eren you look adorable! We can see your cute face without all that hair in the way!" 

"Yeah, what a shame." Jean scoffed. "I think he was better off hiding behind all that hair if you asked me." 

"Don't pay any attention to him, Eren. He's just jealous. But gosh, you look so different with short hair. Why the sudden change?" 

Krista was practically hanging over the edge of her desk staring up at me with wide, expectant eyes as she waited for my answer. I obviously couldn't tell her that I really cut my hair because after my disastrous date with my boss, I was so fucking depressed and pathetic that Mikasa practically dragged my moping ass to the nearest hair salon and told me I needed a new look for a "fresh start". No, definitely couldn't tell _anyone_ about that. 

In the end, all I could do was shrug with a half-smile. "Just felt like I needed a change is all. It's going to start warming up soon and all that hair would only be a hassle." However poor my lie was, Krista seemed to accept it for what it was but I could see Jean giving me a skeptical look from the other side of the desk. Jean was the last person I would ever want to confide in about these matters and no matter how many questioning or probing eyebrow arches he sent my way through out today, I was not about to break and spill everything about what happened on Saturday to him. No way in hell.

"Well, we should all go out for lunch together this afternoon so we can celebrate your new look, oh! and of course, your birthday!" Krista chirped excitedly and I could only nod my head in reluctant agreement. 

I loved my friends and it has been awhile since I got together with all of them for anything let alone lunch but I really just wanted to be alone to myself. To sort out my feelings and get a handle on myself before I was forced to return back to 'normal-Eren' mode. I was still a bit hurt over Saturday. Having only a day to myself wasn't nearly enough time but I couldn't neglect my job just because I felt a little sad about a failed relationship. Besides, it wasn't like this was the first time. When I ended things with Reiner I didn't let it bother me this much but then again, I wasn't head over heels for Reiner the way I was for Levi. Sure, I liked Reiner and I had been very attracted to him but things just couldn't work out between us and now that I thought about it, that was probably also my fault but it was too late to try and figure out why none of my past relationships hadn't worked. 

Waving to Krista and shooting Jean a halfhearted insult, I finally walked the distance to my desk situated outside Levi's dark outside window. He wasn't in yet which wasn't surprisingly considering I was a little early to begin with but I intentionally arrived nearly half an hour earlier so that I'd be able to compose myself before he arrived. I mechanically started getting my desk ready for the day, powering up my desktop computer and getting my sticky notes and pens ready, taking the phone off stand-by and stripping my scarf and beanie off and putting them away in a desk drawer for the meantime. I went about my morning routine of checking for messages for Levi, unlocking his office and preparing it for his arrival, dusting the shelves, organizing the papers on his desk, opening up the shades to let the sunlight in and then rushing off to get his morning tea. 

This kind of thing was so natural to me that I wondered how hard it would be for me to forget this routine should I ever leave Recon. Thinking back on it now, my whole plan when I came to work here was to last for at least a year and then transfer to some other publishing company in any part of the world that I wanted. Now, though, I couldn't possibly see myself working for any other magazine. Of course, I didn't intend on staying Levi's assistant forever. All things must change and my original plan was to become an editor but with the ways things were between us now, whether good or bad, I wondered if I would be able to work around Levi as a professional without letting my personal feelings get in the way. His words from that night still had a great effect on me and whenever I recalled his confession, it still made my heart stutter in my chest and my cheeks fill with warmth over such an unbelievable thing. Levi Ackerman, in love with _me_ of all people. 

It took me a little while longer to make Levi's tea since I kept getting distracted with my own thoughts and kept fucking up the amount of sugar to put into his tea but eventually, after a much needed scolding to get my shit together, I managed to make Levi's tea to his liking and I carried the stainless steel tea set out on the tray I always used to bring him his coffee or tea but wouldn't luck just have it that as soon as I turned the corner to enter Levi's office, I nearly crashed straight into said man who might I add was looking impeccably handsome this morning. Fuck my life. 

After I'd managed to not to spill hot tea all over Levi and myself, we both straightened up and just stared at each for a long second. Me appreciating Levi's [outfit](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f3/8a/1d/f38a1d22a9523b8b15600a249ba736e4.jpg) this morning, which consisted of a tight fitting black turtle neck underneath a black suit jacket with faux-leather sleeves and trim along the lapels and pocket flaps. He was wearing fitted black slacks, tapered to a crisp line down the center along with shiny black ankle boots, no doubt Versace or Chanel. Those were usually Levi's go-to fashion brands he alway tends to wear. It was huge contrast to Erwin Smith's Armani filled closet but that's what I loved about Levi. His closet was very diverse. His onyx hair had been completely combed back this morning with fine precision and slightly slick with whatever hair product he used to keep his hair in place. He must have just walked into the office because he was still wearing his black leather Isotoner gloves. 

"Good Morning." I finally managed to use my words after a few mental slaps to the face that I needed to act natural but Levi on the other hand, still looked rather perplexed. 

I didn't understand why until he opened his mouth and the first words that came out were, "You cut your hair." 

In my distraction, I had forgotten to put my beanie back on after I got my desk situated but in my defense, I wasn't exactly expecting Levi to get here this early. According to my watch, I still had almost an hour before Levi usually strode into the office at 9:15 exactly yet here he was standing right in front of me. I felt my face heat and I forced myself to look at a spot just behind Levi's head so I wouldn't lose face. Not now. Not after all the self-encouraging words and pep talks I gave myself just so I could get out of bed this morning. 

"I did." came my bland reply and If I wasn't already so anxious and flustered on the inside I would have given myself a pat on the back for managing to make my voice come out normal and even and not the shaky mess I felt like inside. 

Levi narrowed his eyes momentarily, scrutinizing me for what felt like much too long before he finally turned his body to make for his office. 

"You look different. I almost couldn't recognize you." 

"Sorry." 

"No worries. You look-" he suddenly paused as if realizing what he was about to say but he quickly corrected himself. "It looks good." 

But despite his correction, those weren't words I heard come out of his mouth in the end. In my head, all I could hear was _'You look good.'_ and those words should not have had my heart soaring but they did and it was and I suddenly felt like I couldn't do this. There was no way I could act like everything was fine when they weren't. I still wanted Levi, still loved him like mad and my heart was doing a good job of reminding me. 

"Since we're already here, let's go over what I've written for the Editor's Note section in May's upcoming issue. I need to have it finalized before the April issue goes to press." 

Like a switch, Levi was back in Professional mode and I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding all this time until now. It was a relief, to know that Levi was doing his best to make me comfortable by keeping things professional and it seemed he got the hint when I didn't answer his compliment on my new haircut with any sort of answer. I followed Levi into his office as he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack behind the door while I set the tray with his tea set down on the desk. The rest of the morning went by surprisingly fast as Levi and I both kept our conversations strictly professional and to the point and he only bothered me when he needed something pertaining to work and I only bothered him when I needed him to finalize something or had a call for him to take. 

Our interactions from then on were stiff and lacking all the comfortable jest and sarcastic wit from before but I kept reminding myself that this was the way it was _supposed_ to be. Levi was my boss, I was only his assistant. This was the kind of relationship we should have had to begin with. My days went on in this pattern for the rest of the week, I went out to lunch more frequently with Armin, Krista, Jean and the others and on the weekends, Mikasa forced me to go out with them despite my protests. Before I knew it, Three weeks had passed and we were nearly in the month of May and even though I had found a new routine where I hung out with my co-workers and friends on the weekends and I wasn't just wallowing around in my own sadness, I still felt ridiculously unhappy and incomplete. 

Work was something I neither looked forward to nor dreaded. It was kind of just there. My relationship with Levi hadn't changed since that Monday morning on my birthday back in March but it was probably better that we weren't trying to make things like the way they were. Levi had his life and I had mine and that was how it would always be. 

At least... that's what I thought until one evening happened in particular. It was a Friday and most of the office had left early for the weekend. We'd had another successful issue release that month and the entire atmosphere at Recon had relaxed quiet a bit without all the pressure of deadlines and falling behind so Levi allowed for an early work day. I, on the other hand, decided not to head straight home that Friday evening. Mikasa wouldn't be home that weekend anyway, she was spending the weekend at Annie's again which just made me wonder why she just didn't move in with her already. They practically lived together and Mikasa only ever came home some days during the week to sleep, shower and eat before she was off again. I wouldn't lie, I was a little jealous of my sister's relationship with Annie but I was also stupidly happy for them. They'd only been dating a few months but Annie had already met my dad and been accepted as part of the family. I couldn't help but want that for myself. To be able to bring someone home to my dad and introduce them, spend long weekends with them and not come home until Monday or at all. 

Too engrossed in my busy thoughts, I wandered the city sidewalks for about an hour with no particular destination in mind. Occasionally I got bumped in the shoulder for walking on the wrong side of the sidewalk but I couldn't really find it anywhere in me to care that I was walking in the 'fast lane' of the sidewalk rather than the slow lane. New York City sidewalks were like mini highways of their own. Eventually, though, I found myself on the familiar path of 79th street heading straight toward Central Park near Belvedere Castle. 

In these last few months, I'd nearly forgotten all about the bench in central park with the inscription left by the ever mysterious Rivaille. If there was ever a good time to revisit that little bench in central park, it was now. I found myself walking a little faster and faster the closer I got to that familiar gate where the balcony was overlooking turtle pond. Eventually, I was flat out running. Despite it being in the mid-sixties in New York right now, as I ran, the cool air hitting my face slightly stung but it also felt like freedom. I got some rather strange looks for running like a madman through the park but I could care less. All I cared about was reaching that gated balcony, seeing that bench overlooking the park and the pond and the setting sun. My worn boots thudded loudly against the ground beneath me as I sprinted toward my destination but my hear was pounding in my ears and I could practically feel the excitement pumping through my veins as I drew closer and closer. I didn't know what I was expecting when I finally got to that familiar dead end with that familiar old iron gate but I certainly wasn't expecting it to be already wide open and just waiting for me to walk through it, as if beckoning me inside. 

I had already slowed my desperate run into a sluggish trot as I gulped down mouthful upon mouthful of precious air. Maybe it was dumb of me to _sprint_ all the way here but something kept nagging at me, telling me I needed to get here as fast as I possibly could or else I'd miss something, something important. My heart was still pounding loudly, like the sound of a beating drum in the distance and my chest was nearly vibrating in anticipation. There was an eerie silence despite being in central park in spring but the subtle breeze that swept by seemed to be gentle pushing me, guiding me in the direction of the wide open gate. A gate that shouldn't be open unless you had a key and as far as I knew, whoever this Rivaille was and I were the only ones who should have a key to this gate and it was with that thought that I came to an abrupt stop just outside of that gate. 

By some chance, by some odd twist of fate, was the faceless Rivaille standing just beyond this gate? Would I finally know who this mysterious figure was that had been sending me beautiful gifts for months on end? The faceless figure that with nothing but anonymous notes, managed to make my heart swell and soar and feel like the most precious and important thing on this earth. They were standing just past this gate and I would finally be able to put a face to that name. To put a scent, a taste, a feel to that faceless enigma. 

Hesitantly, I stepped through the open gate, still desperately trying to catch my breath and swallow more air but it was all a futile attempt because when my eyes finally landed on a familiar figure, I felt like all the breath in my lungs left me in a single rush. It was sort of like getting punched in the gut and feeling like you can't suck in enough air afterwards. That sort of breathless feeling. 

Levi was standing at the Balcony's edge overlooking the park and the skyline. He was wearing the same clothes from the office; a simple black button down shirt with the top three buttons open, dark fitted slacks and his shiny black Chelsea boots. The blazer he'd worn into work that morning was slung over is forearm as he smoked a cigarette in silence. His hair was perfectly wind-swept making me want to run over and card my hands through it until my fingers were tangled in those ebony locks. I took a moment to just appreciate the sight of him in the setting sunlight however, the way the smoke from his cigarette curled around his lips like a great dragon and disappeared into the air as it rose. 

"It was you," I found myself saying as I took another step through the gate, getting that much closer to Levi. 

He seemed to startle at the sound of my voice which in any other situation would have been comical to me but right now, all I could think about was how happy, upset, relieved, hurt that I was that Levi was actually Rivaille all this time and I didn't even know it. 

"Eren," he started in surprise but as he turned to face me, he hesitated, floundering around for words like a fish which for Levi was so strange to see. His lost and unsure expression was similar to the one I'd seen the night of our date. "It's not-" 

"It was you all along," I interrupted before he could start spouting off some crappy excuse. I had all the evidence I needed right here in front of me. "You were the one behind all the notes and gifts, the flower, the bench, the _key_." I couldn't stop myself from rambling on and on and I didn't know if my rambling was out of anger or relief or happiness or all three rolled into one. "All this time I kept trying to figure out who Rivaille was and it was you the entire time. God," I laughed, "I feel so stupid I could kill myself." my stuttered laughter soon melted into hysteric laughter and out of the corner of my eye I could see Levi standing there looking more than a little dumbfounded by my strange reaction. 

I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I couldn't stop laughing. I laughed and laughed until my sides began to ache and then before I even realized it, I was crying. Hot, heavy tears strolling down my cheeks and hiccuped sobs left me a crumbled mess before the man I loved but the next thing I knew, Levi was pulling me into a bone-crushing embrace and without needing to be told I was clutching onto him for dear life, not caring that I was staining his expensive designer shirt with my tears and snot. In that moment, every single one of my senses was overstimulated with Levi. The faint, musky scent of his cologne engulfed me as I buried my nose in the crook of his neck, my body greedily absorbed Levi's body heat mixing it with mine, my heart felt like it would burst out of my chest and all the strength I had in me was gone, leaving me a limp, wobbly mess in Levi's arms. 

"I'm sorry, Eren. I'm so fucking sorry for not telling you sooner," he mumbled into my cheek. I couldn't tell if he was trying to kiss me or if he was just trying to keep our faces smashed as closely as he could but whichever it was, I didn't care. "I was too much of a coward to try and tell you how I felt myself so I hid behind an alias and hoped one day I'd be able to tell you everything." 

I sniffled loudly before I spoke, "You suck at this." 

I felt, rather than heard, Levi's breathy laughter against my neck. "I know, you don't have to remind me. I've never felt this way about anyone before so I didn't know what else I should do. I just-" He paused and then let out a frustrated sigh. "God damn it, Eren. You know I'm shit with expressing my feelings into words. Why are you making me do this when you already know how I feel about you, you shit?" 

This time it was my turn to laugh, "I do it _because_ I know you're shit at expressing your feelings into words."

"Brat." Levi grumbled but I could hear the slight smile in his voice. 

As I pulled away from Levi's embrace, I could see the apprehension in his eyes. He was wondering the same thing as I was. _Where do we go from here?_ Now that I knew that Levi was Rivaille what did it mean for the both of us? This changed almost everything I thought about Levi the fraternizing playboy. His confession of Love now made all the more sense to me and helped reassure me that Levi didn't just magically develop these feelings for me overnight. He'd been secretly trying to tell me in his own way that he loved me through Rivaille and I couldn't be happier knowing this. I didn't need any further proof that Levi's feelings for me were real. 

"Eren, I know this probably doesn't change anything but-"

"Levi," I stopped him before he could say anything else. "Just shut up and kiss me." 

He flashed me one of those rate, million dollar Levi smiles and I hadn't realized how much I loved that smile until I thought I had lost it for good. Now, here it was on full display just for me and I couldn't doubt the way my heart sang and how that smile lit up my world any longer. 

"Thought you'd never ask."

\- ◆ -

I was going to kill Levi.

Let me clarify why. It's been about three months since I found out about Levi being Rivaille and three months since Levi and I officially started dating. We took things slow the first month, going out to dinner every other saturday or just staying in and watching movies at Levi's apartment. It was nice, slow and sweet with just the two of us holding each other, kissing, falling asleep in each others arms and just doing all the typical cute couple shit all couples do when their relationship was still in the early stages. I thought that after we slept together for the first time, things would kind of cool off but I was so wrong. 

Don't get the wrong idea, sex with Levi was always _amazing_ and I had absolutely no complaints about anything. I could be just as cheeky and smug in bed as Levi could be but that's just the thing. Sometimes, Levi liked to be an asshole and bring our sex life into the office. I wouldn't lie. We'd fucked on his desk on multiple occasions now and nearly got caught by the janitors one night, although I didn't doubt that the janitors weren't aware of what went on in Levi's office most times even if the both of us did our best to clean up after ourselves after the fact but there were always little ways of knowing. 

Currently; I am sitting at my desk, gripping the corners for dear life while trying to keep my expression schooled to my best abilities while Levi sits in his big ass leather office chair with his chin resting in the palm of his hand as he smirks at me through the glass window of his office. One wouldn't be able to tell at first glance, but the little device in Levi's left hand was actually a wireless remote control to the vibrating anal plug currently shoved up my ass. Levi thought it would be fun to have me put it in after lunch so that after work, when I went back to his apartment with him for the weekend we wouldn't have to waste any time in prepping me. My first mistake was saying yes because I didn't know the butt plug Levi gave me to use doubled as a vibrator. Now, I was sitting at my desk, legs crossed together tightly as I fought not to moan out loud and give myself away while Levi sat in his office watching me suffer with a smug little grin on his face. 

He would turn the vibrator on sporadically and for varying amounts of time. This time, he left the vibrator going for more than two minutes and I could feel my cock hardening fast. It didn't help at all that I thought it would be a good idea to surprise Levi later by wearing black lace panties I bought when I went shopping with Mikasa last week. I could feel the material of the panties riding up my ass, adding slight discomfort to my already suffering body. That was my second mistake. 

As if on cue, the intercom on my office phone clicked and Levi's smooth, silky voice purred through the speaker making me moan silently as he beckoned me into his office. 

" _Eren_ , I'd like to see you in my office." 

I had to bite the inside of my cheek as I awkwardly stood up from my spot behind the desk. It was really unnecessary for me to try and hide my forming boner from Levi by using my notepad to cover my crotch, Levi of all people knew exactly how aroused I was and he was making it clear that he was enjoying my suffering and unfortunately this goddamn gorgeous sadist was my boyfriend. 

"Ye-Yes, Levi?" 

"You seem distracted, Eren." Levi arched one of those thin brows at me as his smirk grew in size. "Is there something _wrong_?" 

"Not at all, _Sir_." I tried my best to smile but it faltered when Levi suddenly turned the vibrator on again, this time on it's highest level. "Ngh!" I tried to hold in the moan that desperately wanted to escape me by biting my bottom lip but I knew Levi heard it anyway. 

" _Oh?_ " he sang, turning the vibrator off. "Are you sure? It looks like you're having a little bit of a hard time focusing on your work." 

"Nope." I forced a nervous laugh. "Everything is under con _trol- aah!_ " Damn Levi. I couldn't stop that one moan from escaping me as he suddenly and without warning turned the vibrator back on causing one of my knees to give out on me and I quickly tried to steady myself with the edge of his desk. 

"I don't know, Eren." he purred again. "Maybe you should let me _help_ you. Relieve some of that stress you're under." 

Levi was downright smirking wickedly now as I tried my best to fix him with a heated glare but it was hard when I was currently trying to keep myself upright while also trying to suppress anymore moans from accidentally leaving my mouth at an embarrassingly loud volume. The work day was almost over and most people in the office had gone but there were still a few stragglers walking around the floor getting last minute work done. 

"Yeah, you _better_ help me relieve some of this stress, you ass- _Uhn! Oh, fuck_..."

"Oh, trust me." Levi chuckled as he twirled the little remote control between his fingers casually. "I don't plan on letting you leave my bed for even a minute tonight."

\- ♦ -

As promised, as soon as we made it into Levi's apartment he was attacking my mouth with his own, nipping and sucking at my lower lip as I haphazardly steered us toward his bedroom. I practically memorized the entire layout of his apartment by now and I navigated us toward his room with ease but not without stumbling over our own feet because we were so caught up in trying to get each other naked and out of our stifling clothes. Levi's hands were more nimble than mine for some reason and he already had his hands underneath my shirt, feeling my sides up and running his fingers over my pert nipples sending a shiver down my spine as he did so. One of the perks of Levi's naturally cold hands was that they never failed to stimulate my nipples perfectly whenever we engaged in foreplay, which was _always_.

Once in the privacy of his bedroom, we clumsily kicked off our shoes, tossed our ties and shirts aside until we were both half-naked wearing nothing but our pants that were half-unzipped and open. Levi was obviously in a rush to get me naked tonight as he all but ripped the button open and yanked my pants down until they were hanging around my ankles were I hastily kicked them off. Levi pulled his lips away from my hungry mouth and he glanced down at the black lace panties I was still wearing. 

"Fuck," he hissed under his breath. "Have you been wearing these all day?" he asked, his voice husky and thick with arousal. 

I playfully bit my lower lip and nodded my head slowly, allowing a small teasing smile to slip past as Levi snaked his hands around to my ass where he groped me roughly causing me to gasp and moan in pleasant surprise. 

"You're too perfect, Eren." he groaned into my neck as he buried his nose against my throat. I could feel the vibrations of his voice against my trachea along with the hot tickle of his breath against my skin and then he was licking and sucking at my adam's apple until I'm sure there was a blossoming red mark. 

Levi continued to lick, bite and suck more marks along my neck and jawline peppering me with soon-to-be hickies but that was just the way I wanted it. I loved it when Levi felt the need to mark me whenever we fucked or made love. Even though it was a pain in the ass to explain to my friends or Mikasa, it was comforting to know that these marks were place by the man I loved more than anything in this world. Proof that Levi's love was real, even if the marks were only temporary but that's why I never missed a chance to let him mark me again and again. 

When he was finished marking me, Levi stepped away just out of my reach and smirked as he licked his lips. "You know the drill," he grunted. "Show daddy your pretty little ass so he can punish you properly." 

I all too quickly complied with his orders, crawling onto the bed on my hands and knees and arching my back just so giving Levi the perfect angle for him to spank me, just the way he knew I liked. I never would have pegged myself as the type to have a daddy kink but it just sort of slipped one night when Levi was being particularly dominate and rough in bed and Levi almost made a rule for me to call him 'Daddy' from then on. It was an overused and cliched kink but it worked for us and that's all that mattered. 

I watched Levi from over my shoulder as he unbuckled his belt and slipped it off, tossing it on the ground before he started on the button of his slacks. I wiggled my hips at him impatiently, feeling my arousal going flaccid as I waited for Levi to hurry up and start spanking. The anal pug was still situated in my ass where it nudged against that one little spot inside of me and it had me distracted with the low buzz of pleasure it sent throughout my body. Suddenly, I felt the familiar sting of a cold hand slapping my right cheek and had my mouth dropping open in a surprise moan that was much too loud. 

" _Uhnng!_ "

"Who said you could start without me, brat?" Levi growled as he gave my left cheek the same treatment as the right and the pleasurable sting of Levi's palms meeting my skin had me moaning like a wanton whore. My cock was now at full-mast and leaking profusely through the lace panties leaving a big wet spot against the thin material. 

"I'm sorry, Daddy." I whined as I leaned forward until my cheek was smashed against the soft duvet underneath me. Levi's sheets smelled like laundry detergent and the heady scent of his favorite cologne, Chanel Bleu. 

I felt Levi grope my cheeks harshly once more, massaging and sinking in his fingers into them over and over before he would stop and send another loving spank to each cheek giving them each equal attention. Each time I felt his hand smack against my ass, my thighs shook and I couldn't help but keen helplessly. Then once my ass was stinging and numb from it's loving punishment, Levi would lean forward and place tentative kisses to the red hand prints on each cheek, trailing kisses until those soft, tender kisses turned to possessive biting and sucking. By the time Levi was done worshiping my rear-end, he had left five more hickies on my inner thighs, two bite marks on either of my ass cheeks and one more hard spank to add to the reddening collection of hand marks already on my ass. 

"What do we say, Eren?" he purred in that low, husky voice that had me quivering in anticipation of things to follow. 

"Nnh, t-thank you, Daddy." 

"That's my gorgeous boy. So good for me." 

Levi never missed a chance to praise me whenever we had sex. He would praise me for any little thing and as embarrassing as it was, his praises never failed to have me cumming like some pubescent teen. He had this weird talent for talking extremely dirty to me while praising me at the same time. It was something only someone like Levi could master and it worked like a fucking charm. 

My hands fisted into the sheets when I felt Levi pull the panties down and start tugging at the base of the plug still in my slicked entrance and I immediately relaxed the ring of muscle so that the plug slipped out a little more easily. The faint but pleasurable burn that followed the stretching of my hole as Levi pulled the widest end of the plug out had me nearly sobbing at the loss of being filled by _something_ but I knew that there would be something so much better replacing it soon. 

"Fuck, Eren. Just look at you," Levi gave a guttural groan. "you look so fucking perfect like this. Stretched wide open and waiting for me to wreck you." 

"Oh, god yes, Levi. Please," I cried weakly. "I need you to fuck me."

"Don't worry, I plan to fuck you so good that you won't be able to move a muscle once I'm done with you." he promised, leaning forward and leaving a kiss between my shoulder blades. 

I keened at his words, eagerly waiting for him to make good on that promise and I knew he would. Levi never failed to always leave me completely fucked-out and sated whenever we made love and I was sure this time would be no different. My heart swelled in my chest when I felt the tender way Levi caressed my cheek, brushing some hair out of my eyes before he moved off the bed to the nightstand where he kept the lube and condoms. My knees were already starting to ache from being bent in this position for so long but I wasn't ready to change positions just yet. I fully intended to be fucked by Levi from behind and in several other positions before this night was over. 

I heard Levi rip the foil of a new condom open and for a brief second, I regretted not being able to have my mouth on Levi's cock, to suck him off to near completion or have him coming down my throat but there was plenty of time for that later, or even in the morning. Morning sex was always a special treat. With the panties pooled around my spread thighs, my cock hung heavily between my legs leaking precum profusely and just begging to be touched. I could hear Levi popping the cap of the bottle of lube open and squeezing some out to slick his own cock as he prepared to fuck me like he promised. 

The foot of the bed dipped behind me and I felt Levi crawling closer to me until I felt his hands settled firmly on either side of my hips. He leaned forward again, his chest molding against my sweat slick back as his cock slid between the cleft of my ass teasing me. He trailed soft, loving kisses up my spine up to the nape of my neck and as he pulled his hips back and aligned the crown of his cock with my slick entrance, Levi bit down on the nape of my neck just as he seated himself inside me and it had my body trembling in pleasure all over. 

"Ah! hhng~" 

"So perfect," Levi grunted as he didn't waste any time to pull back out just enough so that only the head of his cock was in before he was slamming back into me with fierce precision, "Everything about you is so perfect for me, Eren." 

My moans were mixed in with a symphony of obscene noises, from skin slapping against skin, the slick wet squelches of Levi's cock pounding into me, the bed creaking noisily under our weight and Levi growling and grunting as he continued to praise me while fucking me at a nice, rough pace. When I wasn't moaning incoherent nonsense, I was begging Levi for more. Harder, faster, deeper, just _more_. I need more of him. 

"Pl-Please, ha-harder, Daddy! Ahhaa!" 

"Eren," Levi panted breathlessly, I could hear him reaching his own climax soon. "Grab onto the headboard." he ordered in a low growl and I didn't hesitate to obey. 

I pushed myself up on shaky arms so that my face was no longer smashed against the mattress and did as I was told, grabbing onto the headboard and arching my back until it was almost painful to hold that position. Levi suddenly pulled out and I looked back at him pleadingly, eyes prickled with tears and drool leaking from the corners of my open mouth as I panted heavily. 

"Daddy, please," I whined desperately. "Please put it back in and fuck me." 

The little that I could see of Levi's form from over my shoulder was absolutely gorgeous. His hair was a mess, black fringe sticking to his sweat slick forehead, silver and muted blue eyes glazed and blown dark with lust, his mouth hanging open slightly as he struggled to catch his breath while beads of sweat rolled down his chin, neck and chest. In the pale moonlight leaking in from Levi's window, he looked absolutely gorgeous and like everything I could ever want in this world and more. He was gripping the base of his cock tightly, the tip swollen if it weren't for the condom the tip would probably be a beautiful scarlet to angry purple but now, veins protruding and precum pearling out endlessly. 

"Is that how you ask for something from Daddy, Eren?" he scolded with no real heat behind his words. In fact, I could almost see a faint smile there. 

" _Please_ ," I moaned, wiggling my hips impatiently to indicate exactly what I was asking of him. "I want Daddy's cock inside me again." 

Pleased with my begging, Levi leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips as a reward which I gratefully accepted and then he was sliding the head of his cock between my ass cheeks again, teasing me by probing my entrance and slightly pushing in but never fully penetrating me in the end. I let out a groan of frustration at his relentless teasing and Levi snaked a hand between my thighs until he had a firm grip on my neglected cock. He gave me a few slow, languid stroke causing me to buck forward into his fist and in my distraction, Levi suddenly pushed his cock back into me and with the new angle this position provided, his dick was rubbing against my prostate just right and I saw spots of white dancing behind my eyelids as I threw my head back and moaned toward the ceiling. 

"Nnh, aah! Fuck, yeah, right there Daddy!" 

My head lolled back until it was resting against Levi's shoulder and he continued to buck into my wildly while his right hand worked my own leaking cock. The two actions were almost too much for me to handle as my moans and screams got progressively louder. I wasn't sure how much more of this double stimulation I could take and then, Levi bit down on my right shoulder and that had me tumbling over the edge of my orgasm. My body tensed and I gripped onto the headboard for dear life as my orgasm racked my body violently. 

"Such a dirty boy," Levi chuckled darkly next to the shell of my ear, licking and sucking on my ear lobe as he continued to stroke me through the last waves of my orgasm. "You came so much already but Daddy's not done with you yet." 

I was still coming down from the high of my orgasm but I was only slightly aware of Levi's actions as he gripped the chain around my neck with the key Rivaille had given me for Valentines Day hanging from the end of it. Using it as a makeshift collar of sorts, Levi tightly held the chain in his grasp until my head and neck were craned back toward the ceiling as he suddenly started fucking me with a renewed vigor. My body was still hypersensitive from my orgasm and I couldn't help but twitch and jolt each time Levi's cock brushed past my prostate, all the while his right hand was still fisted around my soft cock that was quickly hardening again under his ministrations. He repeatedly rubbed a sensitive spot just underneath the head of my cock with the pad of his thumb and it had my toes curling in overstimulated pleasure. 

"C-Cumming! I- Cu-Cumming!" was all I could cry out over and over again as Levi gripped the chain around my neck a little more firmly, not choking me but holding me firmly in place as I continued to grip the headboard in front of me with my back arched until my body was nearly bent back in half but awkward position provided the perfect angle for Levi's cock to repeatedly hit my sweet spot over and over again and again. 

"Can you cum for daddy like the perfect boy you are, Eren?" Levi mumbled against my ear and all I could do was nod my head and speak half-formed words as he continued to tease my overly sensitive cock with his thumb and hit my already abused prostate again and again. 

My thighs trembled violently from exhaustion as my second orgasm hit me like a tidal wave, my eyes rolling to the back of my head as my mouth fell open in a silent scream. From behind, I was only slightly aware of Levi's hips stuttering out of rhythm as he groaned loudly when his own orgasm hit him right after mine. When the aftershocks of my second orgasm passed, my head hung heavily between my arms that were still gripping onto the headboard, every muscle in my body trembling and shaking. Exhausted and about ready to give out on me but perfectly sore and achy in all the right ways. 

I think I must have blacked out momentarily from the intensity of my second orgasm because when I regained consciousness again, I had already been cleaned up and I was curled up next to Levi's side, one of his strong arms wrapped protectively around my shoulders as he hugged me close to his chest with my face nestled comfortably in the crook of his neck. I could feel his chin resting against the top of my head and I couldn't help but sigh softly in tired satisfaction. 

"You went overboard again." I sulked like a petulant child as I traced invisible patterns against one of his pectorals with the tip of my finger. 

Levi kissed the top of my head, "I know, I'm sorry. Are you mad?" he asked softly. His voice sounding slightly wrecked but probably not as wrecked as mine. 

"No," I chuckled tiredly. "I like it when you're a little rough with me sometimes." 

Levi craned his neck down to capture my lips in a slow passionate kiss that never failed to make my heart swell and flutter in my chest like a caged humming bird. He gazed into my eyes for a long moment and then he smiled softly. 

"And I love how sweet and needy you get after we fuck." 

That had me frowning immediately, "I am _not_ needy after sex." I protested.

"Sure," he snorted. "Whatever you say." 

" _Levi._ " I said in a warning tone. 

" _Eren._ " he mimicked back. 

"God, you're such an asshole sometimes. Why am I even dating you?" I huffed as I moved away from his embrace to face my back to him. 

It was a futile attempt to distance myself from Levi since he just followed me to the other side of the bed and practically dry humped my bare ass as he spooned me form behind. 

"Because you're hopelessly in love with this asshole and I'm hopelessly in love with you." 

You'd think I'd be used to Levi saying these sorts of things by now but the truth is, I'll probably never get used to hearing tell me he loves me. Even after all the shit we went through just to get to this moment, all the fights, the arguments, the tears and pain. In the end, it was all so that I could be here in Levi's arms wrapped up tightly and feeling so god damn loved that I was almost afraid of falling asleep in fear of waking up and finding out this was all some kind of dream. But it wasn't a dream and I was really here with Levi, cuddling in his bed while we placed lazy kisses on one another's lips and just got lost in each other. 

This was only the beginning of our relationship and I knew we probably had a long, complicated road ahead of us still but I was willing to tough it out if Levi was willing to meet me halfway. Our relationship was far from perfect, even after we'd already hurt each other so much before getting together. We still had our days when we fought and argued over the smallest things, the struggle to keep our relationship a secret from everyone aside from our closest friends and family sometimes got us both stressed out but at the end of the day, Levi is the only one I wanted to come back to and I was now positive that it was the same for him. I still had my insecurities but Levi did his best to reassure me whenever he could. We would probably always have our differences but if Levi was willing to make this work then I was willing to make it last for as long as we wanted one another. 

"I love you, Eren." 

"I love you too, Levi."

_'More than the moon and all the stars in the sky put together...'_

\- ◆ -

  
_'♪ If I talk real slowly_  
_If I try real hard_  
_to make my point, dear_  
_that you have my heart_  
_here I go...♪'_

_'♪ I'll tell you what you already know_  
_here I go_  
_I'll tell you what you already know ♪'_

_'♪ If you love me with all of your heart_  
_If you love me, I'll make you a star in my universe_  
_You'll never have to go to work_  
_You'll spend everyday, shining your light my way ♪'_

_'♪ If I talk real slowly_  
_If I hold your hand_  
_If you look real closely, my love_  
_You might understand_  
_Here I go...♪'_

_'♪ I'll tell you what you already know_  
_If you love me with all that you are_  
_If you love me, I'll make you a star in my universe_  
_You'll never have to go to work_  
_You'll spend everyday, shining you light my way ♪'_

_'♪ I'll tell you what you already know..._  
_If you love me with all of your heart_  
_If you love me, I'll make you a star in my universe_  
_You'll never have to go to work_  
_You'll spend everyday, shining your light my way... ♪'_  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "HELP  
> CALL 119  
> I'VE FALLEN INTO A PIT OF GAY BOYFRIEND FEELS AND CAN'T GET UP  
> I DON'T NEED LIFE ALERT I NEED 'GAY SHIPS DOING CUTE GAY THINGS' ALERT"
> 
> That was literally my IM's to my waifu on skype as I was typing up the ending to this chapter hahaha it was too much for me to handle. 
> 
> Well, guys! This is it! The final chapter of this great fic that has seriously become so much more than what I was expecting it to be in the first place! Really, though. You guys are all amazing and I can't believe this fic got as far and as popular as it did! I'd like to think I've grown a lot during the process of writing this fic, both as a writer and as a person. I met some AMAZING people while writing this fic, people like my wonderful waifu Paula and even some of you guys who reached out to me! I'm really sad to see this fic go but it had a good run and this fic will ALWAYS hold a very special place in my heart! I adore all of the characters and they've all grown to be special to me in their own ways. I like to think none of my AU characters are all the same. They all have their own differences and personalities and they're never quite exactly the same.
> 
> I want to thank each and everyone of my readers for sticking with me through this fic, even though there were times when I'd take an ETERNITY to update this, you guys were patient and kept encouraging me and sending me your love and support and because of that, I'm still able to write more fics! 
> 
> Anyway! For those of you who liked this fic and any of my previous works, I'm currently working on a new Ereri fic called **"Savages"**
> 
> It's going to be an extremely different fic from anything I've ever written before. For starters, it's a Prince/Royalty AU with Prince!Levi and Street Rat!Eren set in somewhat medieval times with some heavy themes of genocide and racism.  
> It's something I've been wanting to write for awhile now and I've been working on it for quite some time.  
> So, to anyone who's interested, keep an eye out for that fic sometime in the future and I hope some of you join me in a new, exciting Ereri adventure with our cute, dumb babies!


End file.
